Clark had always considered himself someone who preferred resolving conflicts peacefully, but after witnessing the Spectre's attitude, he knew there would be no peaceful resolution today.
Not that he had ever been particularly skilled at talking his way out of trouble.
A crimson glow gathered in Clark's eyes, heat vision ready to erupt at any moment.
But just as the beams were about to fire, the air rippled violently.
An unpleasant magical aura spread through the atmosphere, instantly irritating Clark's senses.
"Reveal!"
The reversed incantation echoed through the battlefield.
Clark turned sharply and saw Zatanna suddenly appear behind Batman, dressed in her signature top hat and stage attire.
In her left arm was the orange cat Clark had set down moments earlier.
Without wasting a second, Zatanna grabbed Batman's shoulder with her free hand. Batman, still trapped in the Spectre's grip and enduring immense pain, looked stunned to see her appear.
"Depart!"
The reverse spell activated instantly.
In the next moment, Zatanna, Batman, and the orange cat vanished without a trace.
Her teleportation magic carried them away before anyone could react.
The Spectre stared at his now empty hand.
"No!"
His thunderous roar shook the ruins.
He had not expected to be outmaneuvered yet again.
Lightning crackled wildly around his body as rage surged through him, violent arcs of energy snapping across the sky like the fury of a living storm.
Floating nearby, Clark watched the entire scene in disbelief.
To his annoyance, Zatanna had not even acknowledged him before leaving.
Not even a glance.
We used to be friends, Clark thought bitterly.
A terrible feeling suddenly settled in his stomach as he looked toward the enraged Spectre.
He had a strong suspicion the Spectre was about to vent all that anger on him instead.
Clark swallowed hard.
This was becoming a disaster.
At the same time, Adrian discovered Rachel's disappearance.
The moment she vanished, he activated both his super vision and super hearing, searching every location Rachel could possibly have gone.
Nothing.
No trace.
As the search continued unsuccessfully, the anxiety in his chest grew heavier, though his expression remained controlled.
After reassuring Martha, Adrian immediately headed to the Justice Society Hall.
Rachel was powerful in magic and carried the legacy of Raven, yet in Adrian's mind, she was still his younger sister.
A girl who could be in danger at any moment.
The mixture of anger and self blame burning inside him pushed him into action immediately.
He summoned every available member.
Mera, Wonder Woman, Flash, Bat, the Wonder Twins, Shazam, Jenna, and the rest of the Justice Society gathered inside the Hall shortly afterward.
John Stewart and Sinestro arrived as well.
At this moment, Adrian had only one thought.
If anyone had harmed Rachel, he would make them regret ever existing.
He forced himself to sit down.
He needed clarity, not rage.
Everyone in the Hall could sense something was wrong with Adrian's emotional state.
No one spoke.
The atmosphere remained oppressively silent.
Only Mera occasionally glanced toward Adrian with concern. Ever since spending more time with him recently, she had become unusually attentive to his condition.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the Hall corridor.
Wonder Woman entered while dragging a young man behind her.
With a heavy thud, she threw him onto the floor.
Adrian's cold gaze settled on the captive.
"Officer Sprague," Adrian said icily. "I know who you are. Publicly, you work for the Gotham Police Department. Secretly, you operate for Batman's network. You recently participated in the attacks on Gotham and Metropolis."
His eyes narrowed.
"What has Batman been doing recently? What did you obtain from Chinatown? And how did you abduct my family?"
Officer Sprague was one of the closest operatives tied to Batman's inner circle.
Since Adrian had already designated Batman as the primary suspect, Sprague had become one of the key targets of his investigation.
Blood dripped from the corner of Sprague's mouth as he knelt on one leg, glaring defiantly at Adrian.
Suddenly, Sinestro stepped forward and grabbed Sprague's jaw with brutal force.
"Mmph!"
"Answer him," Sinestro growled.
Adrian remained calm.
"It's fine, Sinestro. Let him go."
He rose from the leadership seat and descended the steps slowly until he stood directly before Sprague.
"I respect loyalty," Adrian said quietly. "Batman has always inspired it in people."
His gaze sharpened.
"But I want answers."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"My closest family member is missing. Batman is involved in something connected to magic, and I know he is tied to this."
Adrian crouched slightly, staring directly into Sprague's eyes.
"If you people decided to target those around me in order to provoke me, then understand something clearly. Ending this game would be effortless for me."
His voice became colder.
"I have been treating all of you gently until now. Tell me where my sister is."
Sweat poured down Sprague's forehead under the pressure radiating from Adrian.
His remaining leg buckled instinctively.
He dropped fully to both knees.
"I, I don't know what you're talking about."
"No," Adrian replied. "You do."
A terrifying light shone in Adrian's eyes.
"You cannot hide anything from me."
"I hear your heartbeat. I see the footprints you left outside this building. I see your fingerprints across this entire room."
His vision pierced through walls and distance effortlessly.
"I can even see your wife. She's teaching right now. The children in her classroom seem to adore her."
Sprague's expression instantly changed.
Fear replaced defiance.
After a long silence, he lowered his head painfully.
"What... what do you want?"
"You already know."
Adrian straightened.
"Tell me what Batman has been planning and where my family is."
Sprague clenched his fists tightly.
"I swear, I don't know where your family is. I haven't spoken directly to Batman. I only handle peripheral work. I don't know his plans."
Sinestro smiled cruelly.
Clearly unconvinced.
A bolt of yellow lightning erupted from his ring and struck Sprague instantly.
"AAAHHH!"
Sprague collapsed onto the floor screaming.
Sinestro followed immediately, creating countless writhing yellow constructs shaped like serpents. They wrapped around Sprague's limbs, forced open his mouth, and restrained his body completely.
Agonized screams echoed through the Hall.
Sinestro looked genuinely pleased.
"You impress me, Officer Sprague," he said. "Very few people remain silent after this much pain."
The Wonder Twins and Bat looked visibly uncomfortable.
Shazam closed his eyes, repeatedly convincing himself this was necessary for Rachel's sake.
Flash lowered his head silently.
He wanted to object, but one look at Adrian's frozen expression stopped him.
Rachel meant too much to him.
Nothing anyone said right now would matter.
Wonder Woman stood quietly to the side, her expression solemn.
Though she avoided looking directly at Adrian, she subtly glanced toward Mera.
Recently, Mera's attention toward Adrian had become impossible to ignore.
"Enough, Sinestro," Adrian finally ordered.
Sinestro barely reacted.
"Not enough."
His eyes gleamed with disturbing excitement.
"I said enough!"
Adrian's voice exploded through the Hall.
Crimson energy flickered dangerously in his eyes as overwhelming pressure filled the room.
Sinestro immediately stopped.
Ever since Adrian had mastered the Yellow Lantern Ring and surpassed Hal Jordan as the embodiment of fear, Sinestro had become far more cautious around him.
"Adrian," Sinestro said after a moment, "I understand this may make you uncomfortable, but our people were kidnapped. Time matters."
Adrian stared at him coldly.
"Are you telling me how to handle this?"
"No," Sinestro replied seriously. "I'm saying this is what I excel at. If he knows anything, I can make him reveal it."
His tone softened slightly.
"You have greater responsibilities. You guide this world. Someone insignificant like him should not burden you."
He stepped forward slightly.
"Allow me to carry this burden for you."
Adrian looked genuinely surprised.
He had not expected sincerity from Sinestro of all people.
After several seconds of silence, Adrian shook his head.
"There's no need."
He turned toward Wonder Woman.
"Diana, use the Lasso of Truth."
"I understand."
Wonder Woman removed the glowing lasso from her waist.
Sprague attempted to retreat, but the lasso wrapped around him instantly.
Under its influence, he could no longer conceal the truth.
Everything he knew spilled out.
It turned out he had lied repeatedly and possessed far more information than he initially claimed.
Afterward, Adrian handed the now useless man over to Sinestro again before falling deep into thought.
"A magical device capable of transmitting sound into the Demon Realm. Constantine returning from England. Multiple magicians gathering together."
He analyzed the implications carefully.
A few moments later, Adrian looked toward Wonder Woman, Sinestro, and Shazam.
"You're coming with me to Jason Blood's residence."
Sprague had revealed that Batman's group had been meeting there frequently.
Adrian knew Jason Blood's reputation.
A human host possessed by the demon Etrigan.
Even among magic users, he was dangerous.
After assigning the remaining members to various tasks, Adrian left immediately with the others.
When it came to Rachel, he refused to waste even a second.
Meanwhile, in Gotham, Jason Blood's residence had already been reduced to rubble.
Clark was being completely overwhelmed by the enraged Spectre.
A devastating magical blow smashed into him and sent him crashing through the remains of the building.
Even with his Kryptonian body, Clark could not properly withstand magic on this level.
Before he could recover, the Spectre struck him again.
Clark had no defense against this kind of power.
Just as he prepared to continue fighting, thunderous sonic booms erupted overhead.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several figures tore through the sky at incredible speed.
Leading them was Adrian.
Clark looked up and finally breathed in relief.
Despite how complicated things often became between them, seeing Adrian arrive now brought an unexpected sense of reassurance.
Adrian reached the battlefield first.
The instant he saw Clark under attack, crimson heat vision erupted from his eyes.
Sinestro followed closely behind, firing a blast from his Yellow Lantern Ring.
The Spectre merely swept his cloak outward, effortlessly blocking both attacks.
"Your ring is meaningless here," the Spectre told Sinestro.
Wonder Woman and Shazam soon arrived beside Adrian.
The four heroes floated together in the sky, confronting the terrifying entity before them.
"Is this how you greet me, Homelander?" the Spectre asked, his voice rumbling like thunder.
Adrian folded his arms.
"I remember you being less talkative."
He already knew exactly who this being was.
In his previous life, Adrian had read enough DC comics to recognize one of the strongest magical entities in existence.
The Spectre.
The Spirit of Vengeance.
The divine wrath that judged evil in the name of God.
Adrian had once considered the possibility of encountering him after the battle with the Devourer of Heaven, but he never expected it to happen like this.
"That is usually true," the Spectre replied. "But there are times when words become necessary."
His glowing gaze settled upon Adrian.
"Powerful forces are moving against you."
Interestingly, there was no hostility in his tone.
If anything, the Spectre seemed strangely favorable toward Adrian.
Wonder Woman frowned.
"Are you one of them?"
"No," the Spectre answered. "On the contrary, I intend to protect you whenever possible."
Everyone present looked stunned.
Even Shazam stared at him in confusion.
"You support Homelander's cause?"
"I do," the Spectre said.
Then suddenly, his enormous hand shot forward.
Before anyone could react, he seized Shazam and lifted him into the air.
White light poured from beneath the Spectre's hood and enveloped Billy completely.
The attack happened so abruptly that even Adrian failed to react in time.
Shazam himself looked completely bewildered.
One second he had asked a question.
The next, he was trapped in the grip of a cosmic entity.
The Spectre tightened his hold, causing pain to surge through Billy's body.
"Billy Batson," the Spectre said slowly, "I have seen the uncertainty within you."
"You stand beside Adrian, yet your heart remains conflicted."
His voice grew heavier.
"A wavering ally can become the source of catastrophe."
The Spectre turned his gaze toward Adrian.
"I will protect you because I believe your cause is righteous. But not all who follow you truly believe."
His grip tightened around Shazam.
"Billy Batson doubts you."
"And doubt," the Spectre declared, "can become the greatest danger of all."