"Who?!"
The fat clown demon was startled.
The voice had appeared suddenly, echoing in his ears without any warning. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching—no disturbance, no presence.
"Kamar-Taj? From the New York Sanctum?"
Given his familiarity with New York, that was his first thought.
But then, a gust of wind swept through the alley. He turned his head—and saw a figure slowly emerging in the dark sky, illuminated by the moonlight.
The figure grew larger as it descended, finally hovering in midair. Eyes locked on him. Regal. Intimidating.
The fat clown's body tensed, his expression turning grim.
"Not Kamar-Taj… not those damned sorcerers… a superhero?"
His pupils shrank.
"Shazam?!"
The clown demon had been lurking on Earth for years.
He had watched the planet's evolution unfold—technology, war, politics, and of course… the explosion of the superhero age.
Naturally, he had observed the rise of powerful figures.
But among them, the ones who intrigued him most weren't the Batmans or Supermen.
It was the magical ones—those who blurred the line between myth and reality:
John Constantine.
Shazam.
Wonder Woman.
Constantine, the so-called occult detective, danced on the edge of Heaven and Hell. In his stories, he toyed with angels and demons alike, pulling strings in both realms.
But the clown demon—being a servant of a true hell lord—knew better.
There was no John Constantine in this universe. Not really.
At least, not in the one they were in now.
And Shazam… that boy, Billy Batson…
Laughable.
In DC lore, Shazam's power came from the six gods—granted to him by an ancient wizard of the same name. Billy only needed to shout Shazam to transform into a superhero.
It sounded like a child's summoning spell. Harmless fiction.
From the demon's perspective—someone who truly understood the fabric of worlds—there was no grand wizard named Shazam. No real magic drawn from six Greco-Roman deities.
And yet…
Here he was.
Floating in the sky. Crackling with power.
As for Wonder Woman… she was different.
The demon remembered her. A warrior born of Greek myth—she had once clashed with Thor in Asgard and even stepped foot in that godly realm.
That had shaken his certainty.
At first, he dismissed both Constantine and Shazam as mere puffed-up mystics—tricks of human imagination, exaggerated stories.
His true concern had always been the magicians of Kamar-Taj.
Especially while he was hiding in New York.
The guardian of the New York Sanctum had repeatedly tracked his movements, forcing him to constantly change locations, always staying one step ahead of their detection.
It wasn't fear, exactly. He didn't fear human sorcerers.
Not unless it was that one—the fabled Sorcerer Supreme.
But his mission wasn't to fight or destroy.
He was here to guide Al Simmons—newly returned from Hell—and set him on the path laid out by their master.
This man… chosen by the Lord of Hell himself…
He was the key to everything.
The one who would bring about the end—
And forge something new from the ashes.
The clown demon was merely a leader—a guide.
But soon, as he waited for Simmons to return from Hell while simultaneously evading capture by the guardians of the New York Sanctum, his dismissive attitude toward Constantine and Shazam changed drastically.
More than half a year ago—
A battle erupted in Los Angeles, unleashing a monstrous wave of demonic energy that instantly drew his attention.
That power… it carried Mephisto's presence. And along with it, the aura of the Heart of the Witch Demon and several other high-level demons.
But what truly shocked him came after.
According to the intelligence he later acquired—Constantine had reversed everything.
Mephisto had been toyed with and outmaneuvered by Constantine. The Heart Demon and his forces were completely obliterated, wiped out on Earth with no chance of return.
In that same incident, the clown demon even sensed a familiar, terrifying aura—one that belonged to the Holy Lord, the once-dominant leader among the Eight Demon Kings.
And now?
That great demon had fallen. Captured by humans, silenced, erased from the battlefield.
After that—
In a distant country—Italy—another disturbance occurred.
The smell of hell had risen sharply there, and the clown demon had been sure that a demon was about to descend.
But the storm ended abruptly.
Later, he learned it was Shazam who intervened—sweeping through with thunderous power, wiping out the Hydra stronghold in Europe alongside other superheroes, and sealing away a hellish entity.
After these two events, the clown demon was forced to revise his opinions of Constantine and Shazam. He began to view them not as nuisances—but as threats.
For thousands of years, humanity had been insignificant to Hell.
But things had changed.
Humans, once weak and powerless, had evolved—into a force that Hell's demons could no longer ignore. The potential of mankind had grown terrifying. And that potential stirred both fear and hunger in Hell's depths.
The desire to consume and corrupt the Earth grew stronger.
"So, it's you..."
The clown demon's eyes narrowed as he stared at Shazam floating in the sky. The red cloak billowed behind him, radiating overwhelming presence.
A chill crept down the demon's spine.
This was no ordinary encounter.
Below, confusion and fear filled the air.
Especially from Wanda Black and her boyfriend.
The moment they saw the two supernatural figures—Shazam in the sky and the grotesque armored man on the ground—they realized something terrible:
They were caught in a storm far beyond their understanding.
They were just ordinary people now—why was this happening?
Unless…
There was only one unusual factor nearby.
Their eyes turned toward the twisted, grotesque figure clad in flesh-like armor, covered in jagged bone spurs—a demon-like presence from the depths of Hell.
The man who had been loitering near their house these past days.
Wanda's eyes widened.
"You…"
She hesitated, then, slowly, her voice trembled as the realization struck.
"Simmons..."
She murmured.
Simmons—reborn, altered—heard the name clearly. His heightened senses caught even the faintest whisper.
His heart trembled.
But he remained silent.
Though he didn't fully understand his own condition yet, one thing was certain:
He was no longer the man he used to be.
And this situation… was dangerous.
He couldn't involve Wanda.
She had moved on. She had a new life now.
And he?
He was a creature from hell.
He must let her go.
There's a kind of love that demands no return.
A kind of love…
that means letting go.
Above everyone's heads, under the glow of the moonlight, Shazam's figure slowly descended. His shadow stretched long across the ground, and with it came an overwhelming pressure that caused the clown demon to feel an unprecedented tension.
"Shazam, are you really choosing to stand against the Devil?"
The clown demon narrowed his eyes. His bloated, grotesque face shifted as his expression changed.
The illusion of a comical exterior began to melt away, revealing a hideous, true demon form. A wave of vile, oppressive demonic energy swept out, thick with a stench of decay.
"Enough of the clown act," Shazam said coolly, ignoring the question. "Let's see what you really look like."
He added, casually, "To be honest, that clown disguise isn't just hideous—it also gives me the illusion that any stray mutt could throw on makeup and call himself a threat."
"Illusion?" The demon frowned in confusion.
"Yeah," Shazam smirked. "An illusion that even a random cat or dog could become a clown."
With that, Shazam raised his hand sharply.
RUMBLE!!
Dark clouds roiled together overhead, thick and ominous. Lightning crackled across the sky, flashing in jagged streaks of blue-violet energy. The sky above New York lit up as if the end of the world had begun. Thunder rolled like cannon fire, and the entire city took notice.
A vast surge of magical energy blanketed the city, and the clown demon's expression instantly shifted—what he felt in that moment was something beyond his comprehension.
BOOM!
In an instant, a bolt of lightning thick as a tree trunk tore through the clouds and slammed into the demon from above. It descended like a divine battle axe, crackling with power, and struck the clown demon squarely. Shazam's spiritual lock left him no room to dodge.
"Aaaahhhhhhh!"
The clown demon screamed in agony as his false form tore apart, giving way to his true self.
CRACK! CRACK!
His body rapidly expanded. Flesh split. Clothing shredded. Bone spurs erupted from his back. His limbs twisted and stretched unnaturally, and his entire body transformed into a monstrous figure.
His head resembled a beast's, with razor-sharp teeth and burning scarlet eyes—horrifying to behold.
Drip... drip...
Dark green blood oozed from his shoulders, sizzling on the pavement—clear evidence of the damage Shazam's lightning had caused.
The demon stared up at Shazam with seething hatred, fury in his glowing eyes.
Screams erupted all around.
Residents, startled by the supernatural uproar, flooded out of their homes. Wanda, her boyfriend, and all their neighbors watched in stunned horror. The sight of a clown transforming into a demon was too much. Their scalps tingled. Terror gripped their hearts.
Even the presence of Shazam did little to comfort them.
Because honestly—
A terrorist attack was one thing.
This was mythological. Apocalyptic.
How could any ordinary person possibly face this?
The demon's voice thundered:
"Do you even know what you've done?!"
Now fully transformed, the demon's confidence surged. His anger skyrocketed past the breaking point. Waves of raw demonic energy surged outward, causing the nearby civilians to stagger, pale and disoriented, some even fainting from the pressure.
Only Shazam and the newly awakened Simmons stood unaffected.
Simmons stared blankly, memories crashing over him like a flood. His heart pounded, panic surged through him, and a deep-rooted fear twisted in his chest.
Still, Shazam remained calm, replying once again with offhanded sarcasm:
"Honestly, you look more like a demon now than a clown."
He shrugged casually, as if he were dealing with a bothersome panhandler rather than a hellish monstrosity.
"I mean, I don't even like clowns... but you? You're not qualified to carry their shoes."
"Clown?!"
The demon howled in rage. "I am the clown!"
WHOOSH!
With a powerful thrust, the demon bent his muscular legs and launched himself upward like a locomotive. His colossal body rocketed through the air, blotting out the moonlight as he lunged directly toward Shazam.
Compared to the devil, Shazam wasn't particularly impressive in terms of size.
Boom!
The next moment, another flash of lightning exploded in the air.
Shazam's attack struck the charging demon, causing it to tremble, but it didn't deal any fatal damage. Instead, it seemed to ignite the demon's fury even more. The red light in his eyes intensified, and his massive palm came crashing down toward Shazam.
Boom!
Still hovering in the air, Shazam saw the incoming attack. Clenching his fist, he gathered his power. His palm glowed with a brilliant blue-violet light, and he slammed it forward toward the demon's attack.
Rumble!
Rumble!
A massive shockwave erupted, penetrating the demon's palm and completely annihilating it, leaving no trace behind.
"Ahhh!"
The demon howled in agony, his expression shifting from anger to panic as he looked at Shazam. He hadn't expected such a powerful response. It was far beyond what he had anticipated.
Even though the clown demon had prepared himself for this battle, standing within his own territory, he had vastly underestimated Shazam.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Without giving the demon any chance to recover, Shazam pressed the attack. Today's events had already caused enough chaos.
Although many people in New York were unsure of what exactly had happened, residents of the neighborhood were quick to post about the incident online, sharing their firsthand accounts.
Despite their fear, curiosity took over. No one dared to capture the video immediately, but the excitement was palpable.
People could already imagine telling others the next morning that they'd witnessed a real battle—shining with envy and awe at the sight.
Anton had purposely let Shazam step in, knowing that showing him to New Yorkers was crucial.
Constantine lacked the power to defeat the clown demon, and Wonder Woman had long since become a widely admired figure. So, Shazam, the latest DC hero, was the only one who hadn't yet fully shown his face to the people of New York.
Though Shazam had been involved in Italy's operation against Hydra's European base, the secrecy surrounding it meant few knew about it.
As a member of the Justice League, New York was the ideal place for Shazam to reveal himself—first to his home city, then to the world.
...
After briefly being pushed back and losing an arm, the clown demon now feared Shazam deeply. He no longer dared to fight recklessly and began to plan his retreat.
He was even prepared to return to Hell to avoid further conflict. Unlike his usual responses to threats like the guardians from Kama Taj, facing Shazam made him feel an overwhelming pressure he hadn't experienced before.
"You have no escape."
Shazam's expression remained calm, his eyes flashing with electricity. "Stay here today, as my first gift to your Hell Lord. Use your life to declare that his plan has failed."
"Stop talking big! You think you can talk to me about the Demon Lord?"
The clown demon gritted his teeth as a magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
Whoosh!
The circle glowed, completely enveloping him. "I'm leaving now. You can't stop me!"
It was a teleportation circle leading to Hell, and the clown demon smirked in satisfaction.
Shazam's expression didn't change, and he made no attempt to stop him. Instead, he replied coolly, "I really don't have the ability to stop you, but someone else does."
"Who?"
The clown demon didn't receive an answer. His question flickered in his mind, but before he could react, his expression changed drastically.
A new figure appeared before him. The light from the teleportation array began to fade.
"Kamar Taj, Guardian of the New York Temple... It's you..."
"Damn magician!" the clown demon cursed.
…
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