"Today, we could end all of this," Clark said, his expression heavy with restraint. "But not like this."
He stepped forward slightly, his gaze shifting between Adrian and Batman.
"Whatever Batman has done to hinder you, he still deserves fairness, Adrian."
Clark had worked alongside Batman long enough to understand the man beneath the armor. Their time together had been limited, but the impression Batman left was lasting.
Batman was difficult, often cold and unyielding. He prepared for the worst in every situation and rarely listened when others disagreed with him. His stubbornness could be infuriating.
Yet he saw through people with unsettling clarity, dissecting their strengths and weaknesses with precision. He used that knowledge to plan ahead, always keeping contingencies in reserve.
To many, he was a nightmare.
But in moments of crisis, he was exactly the person you wanted at your side. His presence meant there was still a path to victory.
He would never betray his principles.
To Clark, Batman was more than Gotham's protector. He was a stabilizing force in a chaotic world, a standard of order when everything else fractured.
And Adrian stood in stark contrast.
Clark had always believed Adrian operated without limits, unpredictable in both method and outcome. He could lead Earth toward brilliance or ruin, and there was no certainty which path he would choose.
That was why someone like Batman mattered.
Only someone bound by rigid principles could stand against Adrian if he ever crossed the line.
Adrian did not share those thoughts. He let out a low scoff and threw Batman to the ground with force.
"You admire that kind of stubborn resolve?" Adrian said sharply. "Clark, they threatened Rachel. To get to me, they used tactics like that. And you want to call them noble? Don't insult me. They are desperate people clinging to a losing cause."
His voice carried no hesitation, only contempt.
Clark held his ground. "Do you remember a conversation we had?"
Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Back on the school bus," Clark continued, "we talked about Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I said I admired Yang Wen-li. You told me he was passive, shaped by events rather than shaping them."
Adrian's expression shifted briefly in recognition, then settled again.
"Where are you going with this?" he asked.
Clark took a breath. "Yang Wen-li and Reinhard were both idealists. They wanted to create something better, something lasting. But they died young. That was their ending. Preserved at their peak."
Adrian gave a dismissive smile. "If this is a literary discussion, you picked the wrong time."
Clark's voice hardened. "The real tragedy is when a hero becomes a tool of power. When ideals turn into justification for control."
He ignored the violent clash above them and focused entirely on Adrian.
"Yang Wen-li feared becoming someone like Rudolf. And I fear the same for you."
The name carried weight.
Rudolf had once been celebrated, a reformer who promised order. But unchecked power twisted that promise into tyranny. What began as salvation became oppression, and countless lives were lost as a result.
Clark stepped closer.
"Batman sees that possibility in you. That is why he stands against you. You do not have to be enemies, but here and now, you cannot kill him."
Adrian's expression tightened slightly.
"You think I would become that?" he asked.
"No," Clark said, "but people change. Rudolf began with good intentions. So did others before him. You might abandon everything Father taught us if the right pressure is applied. That is what I am afraid of."
Adrian closed the distance between them, stopping just in front of Clark.
"I am not Rudolf," he said quietly. "If anything, you resemble Yang Wen-li, an idealist clinging to a system you believe can save everyone."
He held Clark's gaze for a moment, then turned away.
"Do not try to lecture me with political theory. Your understanding of this world is shallow."
Clark frowned, unsettled by the mention of a name he did not recognize.
"You are not even as perceptive as Laila."
The name lingered in Clark's thoughts, unfamiliar yet strangely resonant.
Before he could question it, a violent explosion tore through the sky.
Fire and white energy erupted outward, followed by waves of descending Hellfire.
The battlefield trembled as the flames rained down, distorting the space around them.
Adrian halted his attack, shifting his focus as the environment itself turned hostile.
Above, the clash between Trickster and Trigon had reached its peak.
"Enjoying yourself?" Trickster shouted, unleashing destructive energy toward his opponent.
Trigon answered with a roar, his voice shaking the air. "Enough games. Burn!"
Hellfire surged outward, cascading downward in relentless waves. The flames carried overwhelming destructive force, capable of reducing anything they touched to ash.
The air vibrated under the pressure.
Swamp Thing, locked in combat with Poison Ivy, felt the surrounding plant life burn away. Pain rippled through him as the forest suffered.
He turned his attention toward the sky, momentarily abandoning his assault.
Across the battlefield, chaos spread.
Barry Allen moved first, using his speed to pull Wonder Woman to safety before darting toward Shazam's fallen form. He grabbed him and carried both to a safer distance in an instant.
Constantine struggled on the ground, rolling to avoid the descending flames.
Most of those struck earlier by Adrian's Heat Vision remained unconscious, their fates uncertain.
Cyborg alone remained active, using mechanical limbs to shield himself from the falling fire and magic, though the encroaching flames threatened to overwhelm him.
Poison Ivy seized the moment when Swamp Thing paused.
"I do not care who you are," she said, launching another attack. "But I will not let this forest burn."
Swamp Thing intercepted her, vines binding her arms before she could strike.
"The destruction of the Green takes priority," he said.
His words stopped her.
She studied him, surprise flickering across her face.
Slowly, she lowered her hands. "Then we agree. This cannot continue."
Swamp Thing released her, setting her down carefully.
"I fight only to protect the Green," he explained.
"Then we act," Poison Ivy replied.
They formed a temporary truce.
Nearby, Batman struggled to remain standing, every breath sending pain through his broken ribs. Still, his focus remained on the greater threat.
"Magic," he said, forcing his voice through the strain. "Fate, can you hear me? Reality is destabilizing."
He barely avoided another surge of Hellfire.
Then the air shifted.
Adrian appeared before him in an instant.
Clark followed close behind, attempting to intervene, but Adrian's Heat Vision forced him back.
Adrian faced Batman directly.
"Adrian," Batman began, "if we do not stop this, we will all…"
He never finished.
Adrian's fist struck his face, sending him staggering.
Batman steadied himself despite the impact.
"You need to listen," he said, struggling to remain upright.
Adrian regarded him coldly. "Do you think I care? Or that I trust you?"
Behind them, fire and magic continued to consume the battlefield.
Batman's voice grew weaker, but his resolve did not falter.
"I do not need your trust. Just your restraint. You can kill me whenever you want, but first, stop this. After that, do whatever you think is necessary."
He drew a strained breath.
"We need to set this aside and act together."
Adrian paused.
His gaze lingered on Batman for a moment.
"Do what?" he asked.
The air rippled again.
Doctor Fate appeared between them, his presence cutting through the chaos.
"Their magic is tearing at reality itself," he said. "Space and time are destabilizing. If this continues, everything here will be erased."
Adrian frowned. "How severe?"
Doctor Fate's voice was grave.
"We are being severed from reality. All of us will cease to exist. Even your fear ring is useless now. Its connection to its power source has already been cut."