Hearing Doctor Fate mention his fear-powered ring and explain that its connection to its energy source had been severed, Adrian slowly raised his hand and examined the yellow ring resting on his finger.
The ring that had once granted him the power of fear had become little more than a dull piece of metal.
Its yellow glow had nearly vanished.
The fear energy that had empowered him was steadily fading from his body. He could feel the strength slipping away with every passing second as the Yellow Lantern ring withdrew the last remnants of its power.
It had become nothing more than an ornament.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Doctor Fate said gravely.
His golden helmet concealed his face, but the weight in his voice was unmistakable.
"The situation has become far worse than any of us imagined. It is not only affecting you. I believe even Sinestro, the embodiment of fear itself, is losing his power."
He paused before continuing.
"The temporal distortion has severed everyone's connection to their respective energy sources. The power stored within your ring has already been exhausted."
His voice echoed like a whisper drifting from some distant realm.
"Superman's cells can no longer absorb energy from the sun. Swamp Thing has been cut off from the Green. As for the others, they are gradually losing their physical existence."
Batman's expression darkened as Doctor Fate spoke.
He raised his bloodstained right hand and watched in silence as it slowly became transparent.
The torn armor covering his arm faded like mist, as though his body itself was being erased from reality.
An unsettling sensation spread through him.
It felt as if the very proof of his existence was being consumed.
Deep down, he knew that if he remained in this collapsing space much longer, he would eventually disappear.
Not only him.
Everyone would.
Nearby, Poison Ivy experienced the same horrifying change.
She could no longer command the surrounding plants. Hellfire swept across the battlefield, destroying everything in its path.
Her body gradually became translucent as every connection she had with the world weakened.
The crimson flames continued spreading while an overwhelming darkness slowly closed in.
Doctor Fate fixed his gaze upon the approaching shadow before speaking to Adrian.
"At the same time, we have been pulled into another plane of existence."
"What plane?"
Adrian stared at the advancing sea of flames as the heavy scent of sulfur filled the air.
He already had a rough idea of what was happening.
"Is Hell invading this world?"
Doctor Fate nodded.
"The realm of Hell is merging with this space. Everyone must leave immediately."
His warning carried unmistakable urgency.
In the distance, Clark and the others had already fallen to their knees.
Their strength was draining away.
Clark was so weakened that he could barely remain conscious, let alone stand.
The clash between Trigon and Trickster was tearing reality itself apart.
Even the Man of Steel could not endure such relentless erosion.
The Flash struggled to support Shazam and Wonder Woman.
Although neither had collapsed completely, both were clearly approaching their limits.
Barry's face was red from the intense heat as thick sulfur-filled smoke scorched his lungs with every breath.
"House of Mystery," Doctor Fate said urgently.
"It can withstand the invasion for a time. It is the only place capable of sheltering everyone."
A ripple distorted the air.
Lightning flashed across the battlefield.
"I'll do it!"
Barry appeared behind Adrian in a burst of speed.
"I can get everyone out of here!"
Adrian glanced at Barry before looking toward the exhausted Clark and Wonder Woman.
He nodded.
"I'll take Clark and Wonder Woman. You evacuate everyone else."
Their forces were already nearing collapse.
Retreat was the only logical option.
His conflict with the so-called rebels could wait.
Although he had blasted Clark with Heat Vision only moments earlier, Adrian had no intention of leaving him to die.
The same applied to Wonder Woman.
Her attack on Catwoman and Mera had angered him, but not enough for him to abandon her.
Without another word, Adrian activated his super speed.
He reached Clark in an instant, lifted him beneath one arm, then crossed the battlefield again and picked up Wonder Woman.
At the same time, Barry sprang into action.
He lifted Batman over one shoulder before rushing to Constantine, pulling the weakened magician onto his other side.
Doctor Fate opened a portal leading to the House of Mystery.
Guided by Fate's magic, Barry entered the Speed Force and delivered Batman and Constantine safely inside.
Without stopping to rest, Barry immediately returned.
Nightwing was carried in one arm.
Cyborg in the other.
Saving lives had become his only priority.
Nothing else mattered.
Trip after trip, Barry evacuated Harley Quinn, Renee Montoya, and everyone else who had been left battered after Adrian's assault.
Finally, only Poison Ivy remained.
Hellfire covered the sky, painting everything beneath it crimson.
Smoke from the underworld swallowed the battlefield.
Reality itself trembled beneath waves of destructive magic.
Plants ignited wherever the infernal heat reached.
Sweat poured down Barry's face as he endured the flames and magical pressure.
After wiping his forehead, he rushed toward the final person still standing.
Swamp Thing.
Barry reached out.
Instead of accepting his help, Swamp Thing grasped Barry's hand and stopped him.
Barry frowned.
"We have to leave. Right now."
"No."
Swamp Thing slowly shook his head.
"I can no longer leave."
Barry stared at him.
"What?"
"I exist through the Green. I am its will made flesh."
His eyes shifted toward Trigon and Trickster as they continued their catastrophic battle.
"I either remain here and perish with the Green... or I stay and resist until the end."
Barry clenched his fists.
He could not abandon an ally.
Adrian had entrusted him with bringing everyone back safely.
No matter how conflicted Barry sometimes felt about Adrian's methods, he had always respected him.
Adrian had sacrificed more than anyone to defend Earth from invading forces.
His cold demeanor concealed a man whose actions often spoke louder than his words.
Barry had always believed there was compassion buried beneath that ruthless exterior.
"Go."
Swamp Thing gently pushed him away.
"There is no time."
Barry stumbled backward.
He watched helplessly as Swamp Thing stood alone before the endless wall of Hellfire.
Pain tightened his chest.
He wanted to help.
He simply couldn't.
As the flames closed in, Barry activated the Speed Force and vanished.
When he finally returned to the House of Secrets, exhaustion overwhelmed him.
He collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.
Looking toward Adrian, he lowered his head.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't bring Swamp Thing."
Clark, who had recovered slightly, stepped forward and helped Barry to his feet.
"You did everything you could, Barry. You saved all of us."
Barry nodded weakly before looking around the room.
A moment later, confusion spread across his face.
Only members of the Justice Society were present.
Batman and the others were nowhere to be seen.
"Wait... where are Batman and everyone else?"
He turned toward Adrian.
"I brought them here myself. I know I did."
Adrian stood beside a window overlooking the endless white void outside.
"They aren't here."
Barry frowned.
"But I clearly brought them to this place."
Adrian turned around.
"This is the House of Secrets, not the House of Mystery."
His cold eyes narrowed.
"Doctor Fate played a clever game with words."
"He opened the House of Mystery while you were transporting Batman and the other rebels, sending them there. When it was our turn, he opened the House of Secrets instead. We were deliberately separated."
Wonder Woman, still visibly drained, looked toward Adrian.
"Is there a difference between the two houses?"
"Very little."
Adrian glanced at the unconscious Shazam lying nearby.
Oliver Queen's soul had already left Shazam's body after his injuries, leaving only Billy Batson's unconscious teenage form behind.
"Both houses can temporarily withstand the destruction caused by Trigon and Trickster's battle."
He paused.
"But neither will survive forever."
Barry looked increasingly uncertain.
"So... what do we do now?"
Ignoring the question for the moment, Adrian activated his X-ray vision and searched every room inside the House of Secrets.
Almost immediately, he found the person he had been searching for.
Rachel.
She lay unconscious inside a magical circle.
Without hesitation, Adrian disappeared in a blur.
The next instant, the magic circle had been destroyed, and Rachel rested safely in his arms.
Everyone stared in surprise.
Clark stepped forward, his face filled with relief.
"Rachel... Is that really Rachel?"
"Yes."
Adrian looked down at his sleeping sister.
Her brow remained tightly furrowed even in unconsciousness.
"She has been imprisoned here this entire time."
He looked toward Clark.
"Doctor Fate intentionally sent us here because he wanted us to find her."
"He believes Rachel is the key to ending all of this."
Clark frowned.
"Did Batman ask him to do this?"
"I don't know."
Adrian shook his head.
"But they clearly believe returning Rachel to us is necessary if this crisis is to be resolved."
Meanwhile, inside the House of Mystery, every pair of eyes turned toward Doctor Fate.
Renee Montoya and Harley Quinn had stopped bleeding. Superman's Kryptonian cells had accelerated their recovery.
Cyborg's mechanical body had also prevented his injuries from becoming fatal.
Only Nightwing remained in critical condition.
Batman slowly approached his unconscious son.
Ignoring his own injuries, he knelt beside him and gently took Nightwing's hand.
He could feel his life slipping away.
His voice trembled.
"I... I'm losing one of my sons."
Unbearable grief filled his heart.
For the first time, he truly understood Adrian's warning.
He might survive.
But he would be forced to watch the people he loved disappear one by one.
"I have stabilized his life with magic for the moment," Doctor Fate said quietly.
"However, we now face a far greater problem than his injuries."