The Godslayer approached Su Ming with a hat on his head, holding a weapon in one hand and pulling out a lighter with the other.
The magic hadn't altered this hat at all; it was still made of ordinary fabric, the kind used on stage costumes.
Perhaps it was made from fine silk produced in Asia, yet it was still not fireproof.
The tendrils reached out, trying to grab Su Ming, but after he ignited the hat, he sent it flying with his weapon.
Now it looked like he was roasting an octopus.
The top hat burned, spewing sparks of glitter as if it were a small firework, and those tendrils caught fire as well, burning like kindling.
Diana and Zatanna walked up beside him from behind, quietly watching the flames burn, each lost in their own thoughts.
"The Fire Seed stolen by Prometheus, is that real?"
While holding the Godslayer BBQ, Su Ming turned his head to ask Diana. The firelight made his armor appear even more menacing.
"That has nothing to do with the gods. Humanity learning to use fire was purely a gift from nature—forest fires, volcanic eruptions, lightning striking the ground, and so on—all of these have scientific explanations."
Diana crossed her arms, observing the scene inside the theater. Many people fled, leaving their shoes behind, and oddly enough, there was a pair of pants hanging over a seatback in the distance.
Su Ming sighed as he watched the top hat and the creature turn completely to ash and fall off the weapon: "I didn't expect to hear a scientific explanation from the mouth of the Amazon Queen. What about you, Zatanna? Do you have a magical explanation?"
"Mages believe that fire was originally a symbol of witchcraft, brought by warlocks or shamans among primitive humans from Hell or the gods."
The mage indeed provided a professional explanation, yet she seemed somewhat dazed, as if still recalling the details of magic running amok. So she replied instinctively, her mind not really on the matter.
"Xiaozha, since I came back from the Kro planet, why have you been avoiding me?" Diana put away her Sword and Shield and took Zatanna's hand.
"No, it's just my agent said I have too many unsold pre-sale tickets piling up, and I need to arrange performances quickly." Zatanna snapped out of it, but her eyes were somewhat flustered, not telling the truth.
Su Ming took off his helmet, lit a cigarette from the ground fire, and quietly watched the two women converse. He wasn't familiar with Zatanna, so he had no reason to intervene in the conversation.
But he could tell she was lying.
Perhaps Diana didn't have Su Ming's analytical mind, but she had the warrior's instinctive intuition and sensed the female mage was hiding something.
"We formed the Dark Justice League to deal with mysterious matters. If you find anything, you ought to gather everyone to discuss it."
Diana patiently persuaded.
Zatanna shook her head: "Nothing's going on, I just can't concentrate lately. Alright, I'm going to change outfits, don't follow me."
With that, she walked away swiftly.
Diana frowned, slowly exhaling a breath.
"It seems you have some issues within your league." Su Ming commented while puffing smoke.
"Yes... I used to think any issues would be with Constantine or the Swamp Monster, or maybe even the Human Bat, but I never expected it to be Xiaozha."
Diana had no solution. Zatanna clearly didn't want to say more, and although Diana was a member of the Dark Justice League, she wasn't a caster, just a demigod and warrior.
"What do you plan to do next?" Su Ming glanced at the theater, guessing it would need to be renovated: "Follow her secretly, use the Lasso of Truth to make her confess? Or maybe inquire with other mages?"
"Seek other warlocks; in Los Angeles's Magic Realm, there are still a few people I know."
Diana considered it and decided not to force her friend just yet, intending to first understand what was happening in the Magic Realm.
Recently, there have been too many issues for the Justice League, one after another, and she completely forgot she had a duty to monitor the Magic Realm.
"Alright, I'll go with you." Su Ming dropped the cigarette butt and extinguished it, putting his helmet back on. The failure of magic and divine arts seemed to be due to some sort of disturbance.
Diana pulled up her hood and secured her weapon: "Okay, we only caught the opening of the magic show, now it's time to see the real magic."
"It's not a wasted trip. At least I've added another kind of creature to my list of those I've slain." He followed Diana, and together they walked out of the theater.
"If it's really a list, we don't even know its name." Diana laughed. She had learned to quip from Barry, but couldn't help laughing herself: "Thanks for what you did earlier, you saved this theater."
Su Ming shook his head. An enemy of this level was nothing, perhaps not even as fierce as a zoo's tigers and lions.
"Don't thank me, thank whoever invented the lighter."
...........
In fact, what had just happened had prompted Zatanna to decide to teleport to Georgetown, Maryland, where an ancient villa named Winters Manor stood.
Its owner was Baron Winters, a powerful mage, formidable enough to pride himself on maintaining world balance as his mission.
He wasn't concerned with good or evil, but with balance and order. He was of the most traditional kind of mage, believing that Magic Realm's issues should be solved within the Magic Realm.
Mortal problems didn't concern him.
Mages have sensed that magic is malfunctioning, so they had planned a meeting there tonight to discuss solving the issue.
Not only the heroes using magic power but also villainous magic organizations like the Cold Flame Association would attend.
Zatanna hadn't planned to go, as she found the Cold Flame Association repulsive... until her own problems worsened... until her issues were noticed by Diana.
And since it was a matter of the Magic Realm, Zatanna preferred to resolve it magically. Although Diana had a good relationship with her, the Female Hero wasn't a caster.
...........
Su Ming and Diana knew nothing of this; it was a rumor circulating within the Magic Realm, passed among mages through magic pets or communication magic.
And the two warriors could now only visit the people Diana knew, be they goblins or insects, of the caster type...
Unfortunately, they encountered some trouble with the first one.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The two stood at the door of a house on the outskirts, a temporary cabin like those used by lumberjacks or hunters, very simple and covered in spider webs and dust.
The surrounding forest had oddly shaped trees that appeared ghostly in the night, with green eyes flickering in the shadows, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Su Ming sighed: "Let's just break down the door. I've seen enough cabin-in-the-woods stories."
"Um, what is that?" Diana took off her hood and looked at Su Ming puzzledly: "We're here as visitors, I think it's better to be polite. A mage's home always has traps."
Su Ming shook his Magic Floating Cloak, which lightly grazed his mask as if to say itches were all any magic trap could manage.
"First, it's 10 p.m., and there's a bat-shaped moon overhead, yet the cabin has no light; second, the footprints at the door only go in, none come out; lastly, I smell something off, and my visor's analysis indicates it's ammonia from protein decomposition. Are you really sure you don't want me to break down the door and take a look?"