The sky gradually darkened over the desolate mountains far from Kandak's capital.
Hidden deep within those barren slopes lay an ancient ruin, buried and forgotten by time.
The carved walls whispered of civilizations long gone—stories of gods, men, and powers that mortals were never meant to wield.
Batman and his team finally reached their destination, their footsteps echoing through the hollow tunnels as they ventured deep inside.
Mera, whose long life gave her knowledge of ancient tongues, examined the inscriptions on the stone walls. Atlantis had once ruled parts of this land, and its desert prison wasn't far from the Sahara. She understood these ruins better than anyone.
"'Wizard Sha… something… granted magic to mankind,'" she muttered, running her fingers across the weathered symbols. "'But humanity could not bear the burden of such power.'"
Her eyes narrowed as she continued reading. "'The corruption that followed was sealed, suppressed, and buried here…'"
She frowned. "'Walk down this path and you shall find the crown… What crown?'"
Mera exhaled sharply. "Seems we came to the wrong place."
"This is it," Batman said calmly, stepping deeper into the ruins. "The coordinates from Diana's notes lead right here. She's been studying this since the 1920s—she wouldn't have gotten it wrong."
Without another word, he disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
Mera glanced at the man beside her and shook her head. "This world's already doomed," she said bitterly. "Even if Black Adam's really here, he'll just watch everything burn with us."
She turned away. "We might as well go straight to Metropolis and take down Superman. Killing one more at least feels like revenge."
Beside her stood an older man clad in gold armor and a gleaming helmet. Doctor Fate's voice was calm and steady. "Sometimes, Mera, the only thing that keeps us moving forward is hope."
He followed Batman into the darkness.
Behind him came a man with a researcher's eyes and a weary face. He gave Mera a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Fate's right. There's always a little hope left. That's what I tell myself whenever I'm gambling with science."
"Ray Palmer's got a point," said another voice.
A figure in battle-worn armor passed her by. His suit was scarred in shades of dried blood and matte black. Only one eye was visible beneath his mask—sharp, cold, and deadly.
"Heh," Deathstroke chuckled, his voice low. "Everyone's gone mad in times like this, little mermaid."
The Joker followed, grinning wide. "Only lunatics would still be running around with Batman. But hey—Batman's the craziest of us all."
Finally, Cyborg entered last, his cybernetic eye scanning the ancient symbols, storing every word.
"Doctor Fate, Atom, Deathstroke, Joker—they're all right," Cyborg said in his monotone voice. "Let's go in and find Black Adam first."
Mera stared after them, her expression unreadable. The hatred these men carried ran deeper than hers—like an abyss hidden behind their eyes. She had felt it during their long journey together.
Yet now, these same broken souls spoke of hope and faith, as if they still believed in something. Meanwhile, she was the only one ready to storm Metropolis, to face Superman and Darkseid head-on.
"I'm starting to feel like I'm the only man here," she muttered, then followed them in.
This ragtag group—Batman, Cyborg, Joker, Mera, Deathstroke, Doctor Fate, and Atom—were all that remained of Earth's resistance. The last sane minds left in a ruined world.
Outside, the once-great cities—Kandak, London, Metropolis, Gotham, Jerusalem—stood silent.
The streets were empty, the wind whispering through hollow skyscrapers. What remained of humanity wandered like machines—soulless, moving without thought.
Above them, Parademons patrolled the ruins, their wings beating in the crimson light. They had once been human, but now their bodies were twisted—mutated into monstrous soldiers of Apokolips.
At the heart of Metropolis, on a throne of black steel, sat Superman. His crimson eyes burned with fury as he looked down upon his broken world.
"Where are you, Batman?" his voice echoed like thunder. "I can't hear you anymore. Is Doctor Fate shielding your mind again?"
Back within the ruins, Mera's voice rang out. "What exactly are we doing here, Batman?"
They had entered a vast circular chamber—its center empty, save for two massive stone pillars.
Floating between them was a crown.
The moment they saw it, they knew it wasn't ordinary.
Mera lifted it carefully, studying the ancient text engraved along its edge. She read aloud: "Life is the only path to death…" Her voice faltered. "Oh, hell no!"
Her eyes widened. "This thing's a conduit! It can summon demons from hell! It was forged by ancient kings who wanted immortality—and now it'll call a demon lord to destroy what's left of Earth!"
"Is this what Wonder Woman left behind?"
Her expression darkened. "You're not seriously thinking of summoning one of those things, are you? To fight Darkseid?"
She paused, realizing the absurdity of it—and yet… "Actually… it's not impossible," she whispered. The planet was dying anyway. Maybe unleashing hell against Apokolips wasn't the worst idea.
Then her eyes turned toward Batman.
Could this be his plan? Was he truly this insane?
He's going to drag Earth into the abyss, she thought. They all are.
"Summoning demons," Batman said evenly, breaking her thoughts. "Interesting idea. I'll keep it as a backup plan."
He took the crown from her trembling hands, examined it, then stored it safely away.
"It says 'life is the path to death.' Meaning, one must die wearing it to call the demon forth."
He seemed to understand the riddle instantly.
"I'll use it when the time comes," he said simply. "For now, we keep searching. I trust Diana's judgment."
Mera watched him walk away, the shadows swallowing his form. The others followed without hesitation.
They trusted Batman completely—too completely.
And when he finally decided to unleash that crown, they'd all call it "the right time."
If Mera could read their thoughts, she would've screamed what she already knew—
They were all mad. Every single one of them.