After searching the city fruitlessly, Clark had no choice but to return home.
"Clark, what's wrong?"
Martha looked at her son, who was a bit dusty, and reached out to help him clean the small wood chips from his hair.
"It's nothing, Mother. I just ran into a sorcerer this morning and fought a moving statue."
Thinking of this, Clark sat down with a bit of dejection, preparing to eat the leftover breakfast.
While eating, he waited for news from Batman. Before returning home, he had sent a message to the Justice League headquarters requesting assistance with the investigation.
"Batman, this morning a man dressed as a sorcerer robbed the Metropolis City Center Museum. He apparently killed someone with magic and, in his elation, stole an item protected by magic. I'm worried he has some ulterior motive, could you help investigate his identity."
Recalling magic, Clark remembered David had picked up a mage's diary. He looked at David and recounted the morning's events.
"Do you have any impression of the magic he used, or the stone pillar protected by magic?"
Clark looked to see if he could find any clues from David, but he was destined to be disappointed.
"Uh... magic?"
David, who had finished eating and was looking at the newspaper at the other end of the dining table, looked up. The magic diary was just an excuse he'd casually made up to explain how he knew about the road pool. He knew nothing about magic.
"The Rock of Eternity does have the largest collection of magical history in the world."
However, the books there were too numerous, and he had no interest in poring over them to answer Clark's minor question.
"If that sorcerer really harbors dreams of destroying Earth and ruling the world, he'll reveal himself soon enough."
David's expression showed a hint of boredom, and his attitude made Clark pause. While what he said made sense, Clark couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He shook his head.
"If we wait for him to reveal himself, the problem might be much bigger then. We need to nip the disaster in the bud."
"Then I wish you good luck."
"Felix Faust, formerly a somewhat accomplished archaeology professor, but gradually he became interested in the occult and magic. His excessive belief and pursuit led to his dismissal from the university."
A moment later, Batman sent a voice message through the Justice League's internal chat channel. After receiving Superman's request for help, he and Cyborg immediately obtained the surveillance footage of the incident. With a face to go on, it was Cyborg's specialty. If that sorcerer had left any trace on the internet, there was no way he could escape Cyborg's detection.
"He swore revenge on those who mocked him, and after some time, several people mysteriously disappeared, and he also vanished from public view."
"Vanished?"
At the dinner table, Clark raised an eyebrow. Were the clues going to end here?
"However, fortunately, this half-baked sorcerer doesn't like to hide in gloomy caves like old-school wizards from legends; he still lives in the city."
On the other end of the communicator, Batman's fingers brushed over a row of books on a bookshelf, while Cyborg stood by, examining the items in the room. It was a residence filled with ancient objects, a dazzling array.
"Maya, Babylon... you can find artifacts from almost all ancient civilizations around the world with mysterious elements here."
Cyborg marveled as he connected to the internet to cross-reference the items. He picked up a golden scepter with an ancient crystal embedded at the top, displayed above the fireplace, and tried to gauge its weight, wondering if it belonged to the culprit. A flash of lightning unexpectedly erupted from the crystal, nearly piercing the wall. From dozens of centimeters away, Batman quickly grabbed his cape, blocking the flying debris that shot out like bullets, and his gaze drifted towards Cyborg with a somber look.
Cyborg's face turned awkward, and he quickly put down the scepter, raising his hands.
"I didn't expect this to happen."
"Be careful, we're dealing with a sorcerer."
After reminding him, Batman began to search the bookshelf more carefully.
"Found it..."
His finger stopped on several very new tomes, and he glanced at the books spread open on the desk.
"Hell, the River Styx, Death..."
All these books were related to the god of death in mythology, especially Greek mythology. With ominous words appearing one after another, Batman's expression changed, and he informed Clark of his discovery.
"Hell, the god of death?"
Putting down the completely clean plate, Clark was astonished. Was the thing the sorcerer was looking for related to hell?
"There's a layer of dust on the table. Faust hasn't returned to this room in a long time."
Wiping a layer of dust with his fingertips, Batman frowned and looked around the room.
"Most of the items in this room are probably magical artifacts he painstakingly collected from all over the world."
"What could possibly excite him enough to abandon his home and not return for so long?"
"What exactly did Faust discover? And what is he searching for?"
As the three of them pondered, a notification sound chimed.
David, holding the newspaper, glanced at the Lantern Ring lighting up on his hand, its glow flashing urgently. Someone was using the ring to contact him with an emergency.
"David, someone has invaded Themyscira. Mother sent a distress call."
Diana's voice rang out, laced with anxiety, accompanied by the sounds of her packing her sword and shield.
"I'll head to Themyscira first and see what's happening there."
"Themyscira has been invaded?"
Upon hearing of the attack on Themyscira, David, surprised, put down his newspaper. Zeus had once placed a magical ward to protect Themyscira from any prying eyes or discovery, but as the long years passed, the magic's effect had weakened. If someone found Themyscira, it wasn't entirely surprising. However, to elicit a distress signal from the once-proud Amazon queen Hippolyta...
"It seems someone with extraordinary power has discovered Themyscira!"
David stood up, recalling what Clark had just said.
"Didn't you just mention Greek mythology?"
"Yes... yes, what is it? Did something happen?"
Clark also stood up, stunned. It seemed something extraordinary had occurred.
"I remember there's a gate connecting to the Underworld beneath Themyscira."
David narrowed his eyes. He had initially thought it was some minor sorcerer who appeared out of nowhere, but he hadn't expected it to eventually involve Themyscira.
...
"Kill! Eliminate the intruders!"
The valiant and skilled Amazon warriors stood on the elevated levels of the palace, raining down arrows upon the invaders on the island.
"I admire your courage in facing death, but what use is it?"
In mid-air, a protective shield materialized around Faust, deflecting the arrows that could pierce steel plate. He formed a peculiar hand seal, and an ancient bronze pendant hanging around his neck began to glow intensely. The pendant was inscribed with the image of a woman with snake-like hair, mouth agape in a roar. Any Amazon warrior caught in the light froze, transforming into roaring stone statues.
Faust's lips curved into a smug smile. Since finding Themyscira, he had encountered countless Amazon warriors who had turned into stone statues along the way. This powerful treasure, guided to him by his master, combined with his god-like magical power, was something even the Amazon tribe, favored by the gods of legend, could not resist, falling easily before him.
"Queen, you have finally appeared. It's not too late to lay down your sword now."
As the last Amazon warrior retreated in panic, a woman in armor, with a grim expression and a commanding presence, emerged from the palace. It was Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazon tribe, Faust said with a smile.
"I know you are more than just the Queen of the Amazons. My master specifically instructed that I see you the moment he broke free."
"Hades and your information are a bit outdated. I haven't been the queen of the Amazon tribe for a long time."
Hippolyta sneered, grabbed a bow and arrow from a nearby warrior, drew the bowstring taut like a full moon, and shot the arrow. It streaked like a meteor, creating ripples on Faust's protective shield, but unfortunately, it couldn't break through.
"Even Ares, the God of War, was no match and was slain by the new Amazon king."
"Who did you pass the throne to? Your daughter? A descendant of the great Zeus?"
Thanks to his master, he knew many secrets, Faust sneered without concern.
"It doesn't matter. No matter who it is, when he returns to Themyscira, he will face my master, Hades, the King of the Underworld!"
With that, he quickly urged the treasure on his chest again.
"What is Ares, the God of War, compared to this?"
The remaining Amazons and Hippolyta could not resist the powerful magic and were all turned into stone statues.
He walked past the palace.
He headed into the depths of Themyscira.
At the end of a vast, cold cavern, stood a tall, majestic, heavy stone door. It was carved with complex, dizzying runes and emanated terrifying magical fluctuations that could make even a god tremble.
Faust took out the three key fragments he had found across the world.
Each of the three key pieces was powerfully protected by magic: a stone giant, a giant abyss serpent, and an environment that could bewitch the mind. However, with the power granted by Hades, King of the Underworld, he easily passed through and obtained the keys.
He drew a circle with his hand, communicating with Hades on the other side of the door.
"Master, I'll let you out now."
"Hurry, I've lost count of how many years I've been imprisoned in this prison called the Underworld."
Hades' roar echoed from the hellfire.
Facing the urgency, Faust dared not delay. The three key fragments formed a large stone key, which he inserted into the magical gatepost in front of the door.
RUMBLE!
The runes on the door vanished, and the door, sealed for tens of thousands of years, was opened.
The earth trembled violently, and vicious, terrifying tongues of hellfire spewed from the door, turning everything into lava.
A tall man with a tattered cape and armor, his cold face exuding an awe-inspiring dominance, slowly emerged from the other side of the door. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and laughed to the sky, a thousand spectral undead figures roaring behind him.
"Human world, I, Hades, am back!"
The terrifying divine majesty left Faust breathless.
...
Fresh from investigating Faust's residence, Batman and Cyborg were preparing to return to the Alliance headquarters when Cyborg suddenly stopped, his expression changing drastically. He glanced at the red warning image projected from his wrist.
"There's a global disaster occurring."
He had set up an early warning system on the internet that would retrieve and alert him whenever a disaster struck.
"What is it?"
Batman frowned.
"Near the North Sea, northeast of the Atlantic Ocean, countless undead soldiers have suddenly emerged from the sea, marching across the water towards Britain, Norway, and Denmark. The offensive is radiating globally."
Cyborg nervously released some footage captured by satellites from various countries.
Dense masses of undead soldiers, their eyes glowing red, their skin and muscles shriveled, like mummified corpses crawling out of hell, roared as they climbed out from beneath the sea. The gray-white tide of bodies even obscured the original color of the sea, forming a terrifying wave that surged in all directions.
On the coast of London, England, people scattered and fled. Police fired in panic, but their bullets got stuck in the shriveled bodies of the undead soldiers, causing little damage. Immediately after, the invading undead army rampaged through the streets of the modern city.
"Faust!"
Batman instantly connected the clue they had just found.
"Hell, Death..."
"Summon the Alliance members. We're heading to the center of the disaster. If anyone or any god is pulling the strings, it will be there!"
He gave the order calmly and decisively.
"Before those undead, who should not exist in this world, cause any more destruction, we will resolve this matter!"
...
"You're saying that beneath the ground of Diana's homeland, there's a door, and on the other side of that door is Hades, King of the Underworld's Underworld?"
As they flew towards Themyscira after leaving the small town, Clark's expression was astonished as he listened to David's explanation.
It wasn't the first time he had encountered mythical beings; there were ancient demons before.
But Hades was ultimately different from other entities. He was the King of the Underworld in Greek mythology, who ruled over death. The possibility of him appearing in the human world now made him instinctively uneasy.
"A long, long time ago, the gods of Greece engaged in a protracted war with the Titans. During that time, Hades betrayed them and reached an agreement with the Titans. If he sold out Mount Olympus, then after everything was settled, the human world, filled with flowers and various creatures, would be his to rule."
David began to recount the origin of it all.
"He opened the gates of Mount Olympus and let in the Titans, but the gods, led by Zeus, resisted desperately and won the war."
"In the end, Hades, who betrayed the gods, was cast down from Mount Olympus by Zeus and thrown into the fiery depths of the Underworld. He was punished to guard the cold, dead Underworld for eternity, forbidden to take a single step outside. The passage connecting the Underworld and the human world was sealed, and the key was entrusted to Diana's mother, Hippolyta."
"That stone fragment Faust was looking for is the key?"
Clark's eyes widened as he instantly connected everything.
"More accurately, it's a part of the key."
David corrected him.
"The Underworld is actually the prison where Hades is confined. To prevent him from escaping, Zeus shattered the key into three pieces and hid them in different parts of the world.
However... that doesn't matter anymore."
As he spoke, he stopped abruptly, his voice trailing off as he gazed into the distance.
Towards Themyscira, over the sea millions of miles away, an endless army of clawing, roaring undead, like weightless spirits treading on the water, marched towards the world.
"What is it?"
Clark followed David's gaze when he suddenly stopped, his expression changing drastically.
"That... that's!"
Millions, or tens of millions? No, far more than that!
However many people had died in the world, Hades, King of the Underworld, could summon that many undead soldiers. It was a tide of death that could drown the entire world!
"The passage between Hell and the mortal realm has been opened. Hades has broken free!"
In the sky above, David stared with a deep, lingering gaze.
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