"But I might be wrong, but doesn't that look like Doctor Fate?"
"The same Doctor Fate who was killed by the boss not long ago?"
"What?"
Hearing that, Bruce, who had just pulled himself out of the rubble, froze for a split second before his expression hardened.
After Doctor Kent died, his helmet disappeared. If it had resurfaced now, then someone else had taken it.
"That helmet didn't just vanish," Bruce said sharply into the comms. "Someone has it now, and they're using it."
"Stay focused, Zatanna. Try to take control back from them, damn it."
Before he could say more, a spiked hammer crackling with lightning tore through the air toward him.
Bruce rolled to the side to avoid it, then launched himself upward.
Hawkman surged forward at high speed, wings cutting through the air. He grabbed the back of Bruce's helmet and drove a heavy punch into it.
A dull impact echoed as the strike nearly crushed the armor.
Seeing brute force wasn't enough, Hawkman extended his hand. A blade formed instantly, forged from Nth metal, sharp and radiant.
Bruce reacted immediately. Thrusters along his suit flared to life, forcing his body sideways while his back armor opened.
Dozens of miniature missiles launched in rapid succession, embedding themselves into the exposed areas around Hawkman's armor.
They detonated on impact.
The explosions did nothing.
Hawkman raised his blade and pressed forward, completely unaffected.
Bruce clenched his teeth, twisting his body midair and firing both palm cannons. The blasts failed to injure Hawkman, but the recoil sent Bruce hurtling backward.
While retreating, Bruce deployed a nano-electrode device from his gauntlet, firing it into Hawkman's exposed muscles.
A surge of electricity burst through him.
Hawkman paused for an instant.
It was brief, but it was enough.
"Their armor carries some kind of field," Bruce said steadily over the comms. "Direct attacks, even on exposed areas, don't work."
He adjusted his position as he spoke.
"But they're not fully resistant to electromagnetic attacks. That's our opening."
"I've already tested other options," another voice added. "Fuel-air bombs, acid, nothing worked. Their material is something entirely new. It might even have divine properties."
"Can you all stop analyzing for a second? I'm about to lose control here!"
Zatanna's voice cut through the channel, strained and unsteady.
"This Doctor Fate is far more aggressive than Kent. Her control isn't as refined, but her power is overwhelming. And her mind is filled with hatred. I can barely hold her back!"
Her breathing grew uneven.
"I can't keep this up much longer… I'm losing it!"
Bruce and Lex fell silent for a moment, but Clark's response was immediate.
"I'm on my way."
"It's too late," Zatanna said, her voice breaking. "She already has control of the Spire."
"If I had acted earlier, I could have stopped them. I hesitated… I didn't want to kill anyone. This is my fault."
Her composure collapsed completely.
Clark slammed his foot into the ground, shattering it, then launched himself into the air at full speed.
Watching him go, Floyd pulled his mask down over his face. The red glow of his visor locked onto Victor.
"Plans have changed. We're switching to Bruce's third plan."
"I'm setting up here as a long-range sniper. No further advance."
"Understood," Victor replied, already moving.
With a katana in one hand and a heavy revolver in the other, he advanced alongside Selina toward their assigned position.
Bruce had prepared multiple strategies before this battle, and Victor adjusted without hesitation.
High above the battlefield, Clark tore through the air, reaching Doctor Fate in seconds.
She hovered nearly three thousand meters above the ground, her presence overwhelming.
The moment she saw him, her expression twisted.
"That strength… just like Axel. You're no different. You deserve to die!"
Her voice rose into a piercing scream as she raised her hand.
Fragments of crystallized fate materialized and shot toward Clark.
He smashed through them with brute force, shattering them apart, but the instant he broke through, a bolt of lightning from the Spire struck him directly.
The explosion sent him flying back at even greater speed.
Clark steadied himself midair, coughing from the impact.
"The target is Axel," he reported quickly. "This matches Bruce's third plan. This entire situation is a trap meant to draw him out."
He forced himself back into position.
"But the number of enemies is higher than expected. There are at least three, possibly more. And at least two of them can fly."
His tone sharpened.
"If we don't deal with the airborne threats, they'll overwhelm us."
"We walked straight into this. Zatanna got pulled into controlling the Spire too early."
A brief pause, then his voice steadied.
"We adapt. No hesitation."
"Bruce and I will handle the flying enemies. Clark will disrupt Doctor Fate and give Zatanna an opening to regain control."
"Lex, watch the lightning."
Almost instantly, a bolt of energy tore through the sky, grazing past Hawkgirl before slamming into Lex's mech.
The impact triggered a burst of sparks, damaging multiple joints.
At the same time, Hawkgirl lunged forward, spear aimed straight at Lex.
Just before the strike landed, Clark appeared in front of her, catching the spear with both hands.
Even with his strength, holding his position in midair without leverage put him at a disadvantage.
Hawkgirl twisted the weapon. The spear shifted, transforming into a whip in an instant.
With a powerful swing, she sent Clark flying across the sky.
The brief interruption was enough.
Lex brought his hands together. His armor reconfigured, forming a cannon that glowed with intense red energy.
A concentrated beam fired, slamming into Hawkgirl's shield and forcing her backward.
Through the comms, Lex spoke with precise control.
"I've analyzed the lightning damage. Our armor can withstand at least twenty direct hits before failing."
He continued, voice steady.
"Only the divine component of the lightning causes real damage. The electrical energy itself actually charges our systems."
A pause.
"That means we can use the lightning to push our armor into full output."
His conclusion was clear.
"Our high-energy weapons were limited to three full-power shots before. Now, with this charge, we can increase that to at least thirty-six, possibly forty."