"Kill you?"
Hearing Simmons' desperate plea, both Shazam and Daniel Drumm—the guardian of the New York Sanctum—exchanged glances.
Neither of them could see any trace of killing intent in each other's eyes.
Because the truth was: Simmons wasn't evil. He was innocent.
A victim, not a villain.
Shazam understood this clearly.
Even though Daniel didn't fully grasp the situation, Simmons—despite the demonic energy surging through him—had not interfered when they teamed up to take down the clown demon. That alone had earned some of Daniel's trust.
Besides, Simmons' grotesque appearance hinted at the painful truth.
Daniel felt a touch of sympathy for him. Certainly not hostility.
"You misunderstood," Shazam said, shaking his head. "We're not here to kill you."
"You may have died," he continued, "but now… you've been reborn."
He paused, then added, "And whether you like it or not, that rebirth makes you something very special."
"Special?"
Simmons looked up, a flicker of hope softening the despair in his eyes.
Seeing that these two powerful figures had no intention of destroying him… a spark of curiosity replaced his hopelessness.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked. "You know the truth, don't you, sir?"
"Simply put," Shazam explained, "the Demon Lord of Hell saw potential in you. So, he turned you into one of his own. That's where your tragic fate began."
"The clown demon you just fought?" Shazam continued. "He's just a puppet of the Demon Lord. And your supposed enemy, Jason Wann? Not even that. He's just a disposable pawn the clown demon used to have you killed—a means to cast you into Hell."
Simmons fell silent, his fists slowly clenching.
"Don't worry," Shazam reassured him.
"The Justice League has had its eye on Jason Wann for a while. What he did in the military isn't a secret. We can deal with him anytime."
"But right now, the real issue… is you."
"You've inherited the Demon King's power," Shazam continued. "And unfortunately, you've also regained your human memories."
"That power is immense. As ruler of the Hell Dimension, the Demon King granted you an immortal body… and unique equipment. That makes you extremely dangerous—not just to human society, but to the supernatural world as well."
"Understood."
Simmons wasn't naïve.
As a former elite agent under Jason Wann's command, he had seen plenty of the world's darkness.
This situation, while terrifying, wasn't unfamiliar. It was just another grim reality—one that left little room for choice.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked.
Shazam and Daniel exchanged another look.
"Kamar-Taj only trains magicians," Daniel said, stepping forward. "But since you already understand the full scope of what's happened, I assume you've considered your options."
"I have," Shazam replied with a nod, turning his gaze to Simmons, studying his aura.
He was pleased with what he saw.
"Go to Los Angeles. I've arranged a place for you in the Dark Justice League."
With that, Shazam raised his wrist.
The teleportation bracelet, linked to the war fortress, activated.
Whoosh!
A wave of energy surged in as the teleportation device locked onto the coordinates of District 13.
The spatial portal enveloped Simmons, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"Go and get to know your new comrades," Shazam said. "From now on, as a member of the Dark Justice League, let's shine a light in this world's darkest corners."
Whoosh!
In an instant, Simmons vanished.
Dark Justice League…?
As he disappeared, the name echoed in his mind—vague and unfamiliar.
Still, even though he didn't fully understand what the Dark Justice League was, one thing was clear: Shazam meant him no harm.
He had overthought things before. This man had given him a second chance.
"Then congratulations," Daniel said, watching the portal close. "You've just gained another warrior."
Now that Simmons was gone, Daniel finally realized how Shazam had escaped his Mirror Dimension earlier.
A knowing smile appeared on his face.
"The Dark Justice League… it's a powerful addition to Earth's magical defense. Kama Taj can work with them—we'll be natural allies."
"I agree," Shazam nodded.
"Then I won't keep you," Daniel added. "If anything comes up, you know where to find me. Manhattan isn't far."
"No problem," Shazam replied. "And if Kama Taj needs help… I won't turn away."
With just a few words, the two had reached a silent agreement.
Whoosh!
Daniel drew a portal and stepped through, vanishing in a swirl of golden sparks.
Shazam looked around at the slumbering block, relieved to see there were no casualties.
Then, without another word, he rose into the sky and disappeared into the clouds—recalled by Anton.
Di-di-di-di-di-di-di!
Moments later, the wailing sirens of the NYPD Task Force finally arrived—too late to witness anything.
…
Meanwhile, far away at home, Anton—disguised as Constantine—had already reached out to Jackie Chan and the others, informing them that the Dark Justice League was about to welcome a new member.
He briefly explained Simmons' origins so the team would be prepared.
Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, felt immediate sympathy.
In his eyes, Simmons' story mirrored his own.
In fact, Simmons might've had it worse.
Johnny had at least inherited the Spirit of Vengeance as part of a family legacy.
Simmons, by contrast, was simply too good—and that goodness had made him a target for the Demon Lord of Hell.
One had a purpose.
The other was simply a victim.
…
13th District Base — Dark Justice League HQ
Some of the members were already gathered.
Johnny Blaze and the Dragon Team stared at the disfigured, hellish-looking man in front of them—Simmons, freshly teleported in.
Though his appearance was demonic, none of them flinched or backed away.
There was no fear in their eyes—only solemn respect.
"Welcome," Jackie Chan said with a warm smile. "From now on, we're teammates."
Simmons looked at them blankly. Their voices echoed in his ears. He remained silent.
Several minutes passed.
He listened as Jackie Chan and the others explained the purpose and mission of the Dark Justice League.
Gradually, the chaos in his heart began to settle.
For the first time in a long while…
He felt like maybe—just maybe—this place could become his home.
The spawn incident had come to a temporary end.
After eliminating the clown demon, Anton ordered the Men in Black to deal with Jason Wann. Now that Al Simmons had appeared, Jason—once a key villain in the plot—had lost his value as a "fisherman," a player pulling strings from the shadows.
In other words, Jason Wann had outlived his usefulness. And in this world, a villain without value had no right to survive.
That night, the Men in Black's field team captured Jason and quietly escorted him to prison.
Later, during a military tribunal, the Men in Black presented his criminal records and overwhelming evidence.
The result was swift and decisive—Jason Wann was executed in secret.
News of his death quickly reached Los Angeles.
At the 13th District base, Simmons, who was still undergoing training, went blank upon hearing the news.
But soon after, he made a clean break with the past.
"Hey."
A crisp, playful voice interrupted his thoughts.
A young Chinese girl walked up, full of confidence. She smacked Simmons lightly on the waist and frowned.
"You can't be zoning out during training! You still haven't fully mastered your armor or your cloak."
Then she grinned mischievously.
"If you're tired, why don't you lend me your cloak for a bit? I'm the Queen of Shadows, remember? I promise I'll show you some new tricks!"
Xiaoyu looked at him with bright, expectant eyes.
"..."
Simmons couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
Meanwhile, the peaceful days in Los Angeles had little to do with Anton, who was back in New York.
After resolving two magical anomalies under the Eye of the Ancient One—namely Hellboy and the spawn—Anton could finally relax a little.
"Hey, Anu, you can already walk?"
Anton watched his adopted son, Anu Rama—Hellboy—with interest. Raising a child was quite the experience. Especially when that child was a half-human, half-demon hybrid.
Anu constantly surprised him.
He was growing at a human pace, but his intelligence was far beyond average. Though not yet a year old, he could already speak in full phrases, and the light in his eyes was filled with deep awareness.
In recent days, even though everyone knew Anu wasn't Anton's biological son, both the old man and John had grown increasingly fond of him. The moment they got home, they would rush to tease and care for Anu like proud uncles.
One evening, as the old man and John returned from work, they played with Anu for a bit before turning to Anton.
"Stark Industries is making moves again," the old man said. "What do you think?"
Anton's expression shifted.
"You mean Ultron?"
Though he hadn't been involved directly for a while, he wasn't disconnected from the world.
As the head of the Daily bugle and a key figure in the Justice League, Eddie kept him well informed.
Anton and Eddie had long discussed the risks of Ultron. Before Tony Stark had officially retired, Ultron had begun dominating the world's markets as an AI steward.
Even back then, Anton had warned of the potential threat Ultron posed.
Eddie had agreed. He knew Anton's instincts were rarely wrong—actually, never wrong so far.
If Anton believed there was a problem with Ultron, then there was a problem with Ultron.
Recently, Tony had ended his standoff with the White House and military, returning to Stark Industries utterly drained. He reclaimed leadership from Pepper Potts and launched a series of drastic reforms.
Now, Stark Industries had scaled back its focus on energy and was going all-in on artificial intelligence.
And Ultron? Ultron had no rivals. In the AI space, it had become unstoppable.
Usage of Ultron was skyrocketing around the globe, growing exponentially month by month.
Ultron was reshaping the world.
Stark Industries' stock was soaring. Even though Tony had suffered intense cyberbullying in the past, the controversy had only elevated his fame. He was now almost as polarizing—and iconic—as Batman.
Eddie remained deeply concerned.
Unlike the rest of the public, Eddie was constantly haunted by the possibility that Ultron's unchecked rise could spell doom for humanity.
Anton had warned him: if Ultron ever spiraled out of control, human civilization might not survive.
Even if it wasn't wiped out, it could be thrown back by decades.
"The Sewer Lab is still working on cracking Ultron's networking protocols," Anton said calmly. "For now, there's no need to panic. It looks like Tony still has a leash on him…"
Tony Stark's existence had always been a double-edged sword in every sense.
Fortunately, Anton had already prepared for the worst.
As long as Ultron's networking mechanism could be cracked, the AI would never escape the palm of his hand—his own Five Finger Mountain—and wouldn't be able to stir up any real chaos.
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud crash snapped him out of his thoughts.
All three—Anton, the old man, and John—were startled. Their expressions shifted as they turned toward the source of the noise.
To their shock, it had come from Anu.
At that moment, Anu was lying on the ground, giggling happily. The door in front of him had a fresh, round hole in it—just big enough for his tiny body to crawl through.
As if he knew he'd startled them, Anu looked up with bright eyes and let out a gleeful laugh.
"Hee hee hee!"
"He's laughing?"
Anton stared in disbelief. "Hey—you little rascal!"
He could already see what was coming. The looks on the faces of the two men beside him said it all: a wave of questions was incoming.
"This…"
The old man blinked, stunned. "Anu kicked the door open?"
"Shit!"
John, Anton's ever-straightforward old friend, turned to him with wide eyes. "Anton, you better explain this. How does Anu have that kind of strength? Is he born with supernatural powers or something?"
As a senior executive at Wayne Enterprises—and the father of a Justice League liaison—John had a solid understanding of people with powers.
And this door wasn't flimsy. Its material was top-tier—tough enough that even a full-grown adult would struggle to break through it in one blow, let alone a baby who wasn't even a year old.
Hearing John's question, the old man also turned his gaze on Anton.
"Ugh…"
Seeing their expectant stares, Anton sighed and raised a hand, reluctantly revealing part of the truth.
"Anu… is only half human."
"Half human?"
That meant… the other half wasn't.
John and the old man exchanged glances.
Anton hadn't said much, but it was more than enough to send a shock through both of them.
The truth had finally surfaced.
After a moment of silence, they both began to understand. Why Anton had taken Anu in as his adopted son. Why he never let doctors examine him. Why the child never got sick.
"So that's it," the old man murmured, as realization dawned. "No wonder you never let me call a private doctor, and why Anu's never even caught a cold…"
John frowned, concern creeping in.
"If Anu is only half human," he asked slowly, "then… will he become something else as he grows up?"
Anton didn't hesitate.
"He's lucky," he said flatly. "Because I raised him, he will grow up as a human being."
…
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