Jack Kadere watched Diana climb out of the ruins, glare at him, then charge at Eris once more. He shrugged innocently. In the future, Diana would become extraordinarily powerful—one of the Justice League's top combatants, on par with Superman, eventually killing Ares and taking up the mantle of God of War herself. But right now? She was still weak.
The Goddess of Discord wasn't a deity known for overwhelming combat strength, but she was still more than the current Diana could handle. While Diana launched attack after unyielding attack, Jack turned to Artemis, who had just finished freeing the last of her clanswomen from Eris's influence.
"How bad is it?"
Artemis lowered her voice, her expression complicated. "A third of your slaves are dead, Master. They all belonged to you, and now..."
"Want me to step in?" Jack asked with a slight chuckle.
"Yes." Artemis dropped to one knee, her voice low and heavy. "Diana cannot defeat Eris. I beg you—avenge the dead."
Antiope and Menalippe watched the gesture with troubled expressions. Hippolyta looked between Artemis, Jack, and Diana—who was clearly being overpowered. She drew a deep breath and slowly lowered herself to one knee as well.
She said nothing, but her meaning was plain.
Both Jack Kadere and Eris had killed Amazonians. But Jack had killed in open conflict, his strength against theirs. Eris had used vile manipulation, turning them against each other—and the carnage had been far worse. On a visceral level, death in battle was something they could accept. Slaughtering their own sisters while under a goddess's control was not. Besides, Artemis had shared what she knew of Jack Kadere—that he'd twice tried to earn Diana's forgiveness, that he had no intention of permanently ruling Paradise Island. Eris, on the other hand, was an unknown quantity. No one knew what she truly wanted.
As Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta couldn't afford Diana's rigid idealism. She didn't fear death or battle, but for the sake of her people, she had to weigh every option.
Her kneel was acceptance—of Jack Kadere's dominion.
The remaining Amazonians followed in unison, dropping to their knees.
Bang!
Diana crashed to the ground again. Eris's body swelled larger, and she raised her foot, stomping down repeatedly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Diana didn't yield. She didn't retreat. She didn't show fear. But she was utterly powerless.
"Master!" Artemis called out urgently.
"Ahem." Jack faked a cough and called toward Diana, "Need my help?"
Bang!
Eris's foot slammed down—but Diana's hands shot up and caught it. Her teeth clenched, and divine power erupted from her body in a violent surge.
Boom!
The shockwave staggered Eris backward. Diana rolled clear, flipped to her feet, and launched a vicious kick into Eris's other leg. The goddess's massive form toppled, crashing to the earth.
Dust billowed outward.
Jack waved it away from his face and glanced at Artemis. "I just asked if she needed help, and that triggered a power-up? Getting cheats just like that—where's the logic?"
Diana's sudden burst was as unexpected as a speeding car. She pressed her advantage without hesitation, raining blows down as if releasing every ounce of pent-up fury.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Her fists fell like a violent storm.
"Regret it?" Jack suddenly smiled and asked Hippolyta.
Hippolyta shook her head. She understood—without their submission, Diana's outburst might never have happened.
"Enough!"
Eris roared. She caught Diana and hurled her through the air. Diana reacted instantly, throwing the Lasso of Truth to wrap around Eris's wrist, trying to arrest her momentum—
And Eris vanished.
She reappeared behind Diana and drove a fist into her back.
Bam!
Diana slammed into the ground from above.
Eris planted a foot on Diana's spine, grabbed the Lasso of Truth, and looped it around her throat. She hauled upward, dragging the weakened princess off the ground. Diana's face twisted in pain, her airway constricting.
"Ares cares so much about you," Eris said coldly, tightening her grip. "But it seems... you're not much."
Diana's breathing grew labored.
"Now that's a problem." Jack's voice was light. "That lasso is mine. Give it back—or I'll kill you."
Eris glanced at Diana and smirked at Jack. "She's just an Amazon. There are still plenty left. Killing one hardly matters, does it?"
"There's only one of that." Jack shook his head.
Diana looked at him, her expression conflicted. So he—
"If you want it," Eris said coolly, "come and take it."
"Alright."
Jack smiled faintly. Golden divine power flared around him, laced with azure thunder.
Infinite Superposition. Twenty times.
Boom!
The glow around him erupted into a pillar of light that pierced the clouds. Eris stared in disbelief at the divine power radiating from him—several times greater than her own. Her grip on the lasso slackened.
"How could you have such—"
"Ask God."
Jack vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of her and threw a punch.
The concentrated thunder divine power detonated on impact. Eris's chest caved inward, punched clean through like a city wall struck by a cannonball. She looked down in disbelief—
Bang.
Wind howled. Sand and stone flew.
Eris exploded.
Her body shattered into countless fragments, scattering in every direction before pattering to the ground. Jack caught the Lasso of Truth as it fell and examined it idly. "I already told you—there's only one. How am I supposed to use it if it's dirty?"
Dead?
The Goddess of Discord—whom Diana couldn't defeat even with her sudden power-up—had just been killed with a single punch? Reduced to pieces?
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
"Wh-What is that?"
"Can she still resurrect?"
Artemis pointed at the air and cried out in astonishment.
Golden motes of light rose one by one, drifting upward like fireflies in the dark. They radiated an aura unlike anything else—indescribable, yet unmistakable.
"That's... Source?" Hippolyta whispered, her voice barely audible.
...