Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman

At the center of Berlin, a towering structure loomed.

The tower, resembling the style of ancient Egyptian architecture, had risen abruptly from the earth, piercing the sky.

At its peak sat a stone throne, where Black Adam rested, one fist propped against his head, his eyes closed in slumber.

Once again, he was dreaming—dreaming of Kahndaq, his homeland from millennia ago.

That land, enslaved by ancient Egypt.

"Hurut…"

Black Adam murmured softly, speaking the name of his son.

Hurut had been the true protector of Kahndaq, the one chosen by the Council of Wizards.

But to save his dying father, Hurut had passed his power to him, creating the Black Adam of today.

And as Black Adam accepted that power, Hurut was slain before his very eyes by the armies of ancient Egypt.

There had been nothing he could do.

"I shouldn't be in Germany…"

Black Adam kept repeating this to himself. He should be in Kahndaq, protecting the land his son had given his life for.

But he couldn't.

The war wasn't over yet, and he had to fulfill the Kaiser's wish.

"Once this war ends, I'll go home."

Black Adam resolved. "Let's just finish this tiresome war quickly."

With that thought, he rose to his feet, gazing into the distance toward Kahndaq.

The tower he had created in Berlin existed solely so he could look upon his homeland, even if only in spirit.

But this time, as he gazed into the horizon, he saw something different.

Blessed with the divine power of Aton, Black Adam's senses far surpassed those of mortals. Even from afar, he could see a strange figure racing toward Berlin, crossing the border between Germany and Austria.

It was Pig-Faced Professor.

Beneath him rode a massive beast—part man, part wolf—clearly one of his modified beast soldiers.

The creature moved with incredible speed, an unstoppable force surging toward Berlin.

For a Descender, an ally no less, to travel so boldly and without warning into the capital of another nation…

Clearly, something had gone wrong.

"At this rate, who knows how long it will take you to reach Berlin?"

Black Adam muttered. Raising his hand to the sky, he called down a bolt of lightning.

The thunderclap struck without warning. Pig-Faced Professor had no time to react, the lightning engulfing him in an instant.

His vision went white with crackling energy, and when it returned, he found himself standing inside Black Adam's tower.

It was an Egyptian god's method of spatial transportation.

"Pig-Face."

Black Adam's voice was cold. "Even as allies, your unannounced crossing of the border could be considered an act of war."

"Forget the borders!"

Pig-Faced Professor finally let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Black Adam.

As long as Black Adam was here, Superman wouldn't be able to kill him so easily… would he?

Black Adam frowned. Something was clearly wrong. Pig-Faced Professor looked like a man who'd been scared out of his wits.

"What happened?" Black Adam asked. "Did you run into Russia's Descender?"

"I—"

Pig-Faced Professor opened his mouth to explain, but before he could utter another word, Black Adam suddenly vanished from his sight.

A deafening explosion boomed behind him.

Pig-Faced Professor turned in horror, and what he saw froze him to the core.

Black Adam was in the air, arms outstretched, releasing bolts of lightning to counter a blazing beam of red energy.

Heat vision!

Pig-Faced Professor realized immediately that if Black Adam hadn't intervened, that heat vision would have burned a hole clean through his chest.

Superman descended through the clouds.

The sun at his back, his red cape billowing, he looked every bit like a god among men.

His heat vision intensified, growing more ferocious as Black Adam struggled to hold it back with his lightning.

Blue arcs of electricity and red beams of heat collided, sending sparks of molten energy crashing to the ground, where they hissed and sizzled.

As Superman's heat vision bore down on the city, Black Adam pushed back with all his might, his struggle far more labored than Superman's effortless advance.

"Is Black Adam even holding his own?"

Pig-Faced Professor muttered anxiously.

He couldn't shake the feeling that, despite Black Adam's immense power, he might not be able to protect him after all.

No!

He had to escape.

But where could he go?

Gritting his teeth, Pig-Faced Professor pulled a purple crystal from his coat and, with trembling hands, drove it into his own chest.

Sometimes survival requires risking everything.

Below, Bruce stood watching the godlike battle unfold above the city.

At last, Black Adam abandoned his head-on clash with Superman. He vanished in an instant, leaving Superman's heat vision to strike the tower.

The impact shattered stone, sending debris plummeting to the ground.

"ROOOAAAR!"

A thunderous roar erupted from the tower's peak. A monstrous, pig-headed creature with purple skin leaped into the air, lunging toward Superman.

But Superman was far too quick to be caught.

He ascended higher, and the beast crashed down to the ground, flattening several buildings in its wake.

Black Adam reappeared behind Superman, lightning crackling in his hand as he struck down.

Superman turned and punched him, sending Black Adam hurtling hundreds of meters away.

"I never thought I'd see Superman and Black Adam fight," Kathoom remarked with awe. "If not for Warner messing it up, everyone could've seen this on the big screen."

"What are you talking about?"

Bruce shook his head, his eyes never leaving the battle.

From the streets below, panicked civilians fled in terror. Not long ago, these same people had celebrated the war's outbreak.

Now, their city had become a battlefield, and terror had come for everyone, without exception.

Diana had already rushed to help evacuate civilians. Bruce, meanwhile, remained rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the fight above.

Logically, his best move would be to let Superman and Black Adam wear each other down.

Superman may not be evil, Bruce thought. But our goals are fundamentally opposed.

Superman was a Descender. Bruce's mission was to drive all Descenders out of this world.

They could never be friends here.

"What a shame…"

Bruce murmured softly. He had heard enough stories about Superman from Kathoom to wish he could have spoken to the man himself.

But now was not the time.

Superman was starting to fall behind.

In truth, Black Adam was slowly adapting to the fight.

After probing Superman's abilities several times, Black Adam realized something crucial—Superman wasn't as invincible as he seemed.

When he used magic, Superman struggled to counter it.

He could only rely on super speed to dodge or his invulnerable body to endure.

"So that's it!"

Black Adam smirked. "Your resistance to magic is poor!"

If that was the case, there was no reason to hold back.

After all, he was the wizard chosen by the gods.

Black Adam raised his arms, summoning a mass of dark clouds that quickly blanketed the city.

Lightning crackled through the storm, dancing like serpents in the sky. Rain poured down, and the city became his domain.

"Come, Superman!"

Black Adam roared with laughter. Dark energy surged around him as he unleashed the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Bolts of magical lightning struck all around Superman, forming an electric cage.

Clark's eyes grew colder.

He had no real answer to magic, but Black Adam's recklessness disgusted him.

Wasn't this the city Black Adam was supposed to protect?

Yet here he was, unleashing his power without care, endangering the very people below.

If that was the case, then Clark would fight through the magic—no matter the cost.

He hovered in midair, then shot forward like a missile. Lightning struck his chest, sending waves of numbness through his body.

"Ghh—!"

Clark gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain, his sole focus on stopping Black Adam.

Black Adam, meanwhile, hid his exhaustion beneath the rain.

"He can withstand this?"

Black Adam knew his magical lightning was effective, but Superman seemed hell-bent on enduring it, willing to sacrifice himself to take Black Adam down.

"No more waiting!"

Black Adam gestured, and the Seven Deadly Sins flew at Superman, latching onto him and pulling him toward the ground.

"Damn it—!"

Clark struggled as the sins' shadowy forms clung to his limbs. They couldn't hurt him, but neither could he harm them.

He was trapped, giving Black Adam the time he needed.

From above, Black Adam raised his hands, summoning every ounce of power.

"This is the final blow!"

The clouds seemed to condense behind him, forming a dark cape.

Clark's eyes widened in alarm. He wanted to warn Black Adam—this blow won't kill me, but it'll destroy the city!

Did Black Adam even realize what he was doing?

But the Seven Deadly Sins held him fast, and Black Adam's fist, charged with catastrophic energy, began to descend.

"It's over…"

Clark thought, despair settling in. Millions of lives would be lost.

And their blood would be on his hands, too.

"AHHH!!"

In that instant, Clark roared, unleashing strength he hadn't known he possessed. The Seven Deadly Sins were torn from him, their forms dissipating into shadow.

Pain forgotten, Clark shot toward Black Adam like a cannonball.

The speed was beyond anything Black Adam could have expected.

Before he could react, Clark was already there.

Clark's fist collided with Black Adam's.

For a moment, the world went silent.

Then, a flash of blinding light consumed the sky, spreading across the heavens like a nuclear explosion.

The shockwave flattened everything below. The once-thriving city center was reduced to ash.

As the light faded, a figure plummeted to the earth—Black Adam.

His arm was gone, severed at the wrist, blood spraying as he hit the ground with a heavy thud.

He had lost.

Yet his pride remained intact. Few could boast of surviving a direct clash of power with Superman.

Clark landed softly before Black Adam, breathing heavily.

"You're strong," Clark said. "But you used your strength in the wrong way."

His battle-worn suit bore tears and burns, evidence of the fight.

Clark then turned, addressing an empty corner of the street.

"Kid," he said quietly. "I know you're there. How much longer do you plan to hide?"

"Sorry."

Bruce emerged from the shadows, red lightning crackling around him. Kathoom perched on his shoulder.

During the explosion, Bruce had entered Speed Force Time.

But instead of fighting, he had helped Diana evacuate civilians, moving them to safety in the blink of an eye.

"Kid, you have justice in your heart."

Clark smiled faintly. "But I can see hostility in your eyes, too. You see me as an enemy, don't you?

"Tell me—why are you here? What's your wish in this war?"

Everyone in this war had a purpose.

Even this boy.

But Bruce only shook his head.

"I have no wish in this world," he said softly.

"If I must have one… it's to protect Diana's wish."

To drive all the Descenders out of this world.

"Hellbat Armor—transform." Bruce murmured.

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...he's late [patreon.com/WiseTL]