"I don't know, but the enhanced soldiers have already spread across the entire city. No matter who's behind this, I'll drag him out into the open."
A cold gleam flashed through Adrian's eyes.
The moment Amy saw Clark return alive, she rushed over and grabbed him before he collapsed again.
Clark barely had any strength left. His breathing was ragged, his body trembling from exhaustion and kryptonite exposure. Without Amy supporting him, he would have fallen straight back onto the rubble.
"Why... why, Adrian?"
Clark struggled to force the words out between breaths.
He could not understand it.
Adrian had every reason to let him die beneath the ruins of Gotham City Hall, buried under debris contaminated with kryptonite dust.
Yet he still saved him.
"What I want is to kill you with my own hands, not watch you die because of some coward hiding in the shadows."
Adrian turned to face him, his expression unreadable.
"You only need to understand one thing, Clark. If I truly wanted you dead, I could end your life whenever I choose."
Clark froze.
"Leave," Adrian continued coldly. "Go somewhere and lick your wounds. Go back to those teammates who disappeared when you needed them most. Go back to pretending you're just an ordinary person living an ordinary life."
A faint sneer crossed Adrian's face.
"Take it as pity."
The words hit harder than any punch.
Clark lowered his eyes, guilt surfacing across his exhausted face.
During their battle, Adrian had still chosen to save him.
Again.
At that moment, Clark realized he did not even know what to say anymore. Any excuse or explanation would sound hollow.
"Sorry, Adrian... I..."
The apology died in his throat.
"Next time, you won't be this lucky," Adrian said. "Leave before I change my mind."
Clark stood there silently for several seconds before finally nodding.
Supported by Amy, he slowly left the destroyed battlefield.
As he walked away, doubt crept into his mind.
Adrian was still the same person he had always known, harsh with his words but unwilling to abandon him completely.
But what about himself?
Had he changed?
Wonder Woman stood nearby with the God Killer sword in hand, silently watching Clark disappear into the distance.
After a while, Adrian glanced toward her.
"What? You think I just let him walk away?"
"No," Diana replied with a faint smile. "Honestly, if you had killed Clark, that would've surprised me."
Adrian said nothing.
"You may fool everyone else, but not me," she continued. "You held the advantage from beginning to end, yet you never used your full strength. Half the fight was just the two of you arguing."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"That's not your style."
"If you truly wanted Clark dead, this battle would've ended very differently. You could've used kryptonite from the start and left him helpless."
Adrian shook his head lightly.
"You're overthinking it."
"No," Diana said softly. "I just understand you better than most people do."
The wind swept through the ruined streets of Gotham, carrying smoke and ash through the shattered remains of the city hall.
Diana's voice became quieter.
"When I was young, I met someone who changed the way I saw humanity."
Adrian glanced at her but stayed silent.
"What made him special wasn't attraction or admiration. It was what I saw in his eyes."
"There was curiosity there, like a child eager to explore the world. But there was also fear. He hid it well, pretending to be detached and indifferent."
Diana looked directly at Adrian.
"That contradiction is what fascinated me about humans. Their complexity, their flaws, their endless conflict between emotion and reason."
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"And because of that, I fell in love with humanity."
Her gaze softened.
"That's why I fight for this world. And why I love you."
For several seconds, Adrian remained completely silent.
Then he exhaled quietly.
"Rachel's been rubbing off on you. You sound more dramatic these days."
Diana laughed softly.
Adrian looked toward the destroyed remains of Gotham City Hall.
"Clark can die," he said calmly. "Just not now."
"Why?"
"Because I never considered him my greatest enemy."
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Maybe he was never truly my enemy to begin with."
"He's still the same farm boy from Kansas. Lost, stubborn, emotional, always struggling with himself."
A faint look crossed Adrian's face.
"I understand him."
He slowly walked toward the collapsed ruins nearby and crouched down.
Among the debris, he picked up a glowing green crystal fragment.
Kryptonite.
The hidden bombs inside Gotham City Hall had scattered the mineral throughout the explosion site.
Adrian stared at the crystal in silence.
"And whoever planned this," he said coldly, "has officially declared war on me."
The next morning, Metropolis.
Diana woke from a strange dream.
Deep beneath Themyscira, inside a chamber illuminated by countless candles, a young Diana stood quietly as Queen Hippolyta worked with clay drawn from the earth.
The Queen carefully spread the warm mud across Diana's small arms.
"The heart of the earth is the greatest gift this world possesses," Hippolyta said gently. "From it came the substance that shaped you."
Young Diana looked down at her clay-covered hands with confusion.
Hippolyta leaned close to her ear.
"And I breathed life into you, my daughter."
A breeze drifted through the palace halls, causing Diana's long hair to sway.
"I chose the deepest part of the island to shape you," the Queen continued. "I wanted you to become strong enough that nothing in this world could ever harm you."
Her eyes were filled with affection.
"One day, kingdoms will fall. Rulers will vanish. Glory and power will fade into dust."
"But you..."
"You will remain."
"You will become the final guardian of this world."
Young Diana frowned slightly, unable to fully understand her mother's words.
The sensation of wet clay on her skin only made her uncomfortable.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound at the door pulled Diana from the dream.
"Come in," she said.
Adrian entered the room.
Diana sat up slowly, still feeling lingering exhaustion from the dream.
"Any progress on the Gotham City Hall bombing?"
"I sent Amanda and her team to investigate," Adrian replied. "They already found a few leads."
He studied Diana's face carefully.
"You look tired."
"Just strange dreams," Diana answered quietly.
After waking up, she had felt a strange weight pressing down on her chest.
Watching Adrian and Clark fight had forced her to confront something she had avoided thinking about.
Their battle alone nearly tore Gotham apart.
If conflicts like that escalated further, how long could Earth survive?
"Are you worried I'll destroy the planet?" Adrian asked.
Diana shook her head.
"This world is my home too," Adrian said. "I'm not interested in destroying it."
He paused briefly.
"Besides, there are forces protecting this planet that even I can't fully control."
Diana slowly stood up.
Her loose nightgown draped naturally over her figure, exposing her long legs as sunlight spilled through the apartment windows.
"I know," she replied softly.
What she truly wanted to say was different.
She wondered whether she was fulfilling the expectations her mother once placed upon her.
Ever since Adrian entered her life, the world itself seemed to be spiraling toward something dangerous.
Before she could continue, Adrian's phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Amanda Waller.
Adrian answered immediately.
"What is it?"
"Mr. President, we found a lead connected to the Joker and the Joker Gang."
The moment he heard the name, Adrian's eyes narrowed.
The Joker.
"So it really is him."
"Don't alert them," Adrian ordered. "I'm heading there now."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Adrian turned back toward Diana.
"If you're still restless, come with me to Gotham."
Diana immediately shook her head.
"No thanks. I'd rather avoid dealing with that psychopath."
A faint smile appeared on Adrian's face.
"You're staying in Metropolis because of the Green Lantern Corps?"
"You said they could appear at any time," Diana replied.
"Hal can handle them."
Adrian walked toward the door.
"Get some rest."
Without waiting for another response, he left the apartment.
Gotham City.
Cherry Hill Ice Rink had already been sealed off by federal agents.
Amanda Waller stood near the center of the crime scene while armed operatives searched the area for evidence.
Nearby stood Harley Quinn.
Mascara stains ran down her cheeks as she wiped away tears dramatically.
"Some bad people try to do good things," Harley muttered. "But every good deed comes with a price."
She looked toward Amanda bitterly.
"I heard you dragged Deadshot outta prison, shoved a bomb in his head, and forced him onto some suicide mission."
Her voice lowered.
"And when he realized he was gonna get captured, he shot himself in the heart."
Amanda remained expressionless.
"He stole the Super Soldier Serum and handed it to anti government groups. The President gave him a chance to repay his crimes."
"That was mercy."
Harley let out a cold laugh.
"Mercy, huh?"
Amanda turned toward her sharply.
"More importantly, why are you back in Gotham?"
Her voice became colder.
"Don't forget, Harley. You're still part of Task Force X."
"I can arrest you whenever I want."
===
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