Ascension Code: Reborn in the DC Universe - Chapter 109

The battle in the heart of Bartholomew Swamp had descended into a violent, green chaos. Artemis and Aqualad fought side-by-side against Poison Ivy, the two moving as a well-trained unit, years of collective practice transformed into pure instinct. The villain floated above a platform of living roots that writhed like enraged serpents, her red hair dancing in the humid air like wild vines. With a simple gesture of her long, green fingers, she commanded the entire environment. Thick vines whipped through the air, roots emerged from the muddy ground trying to trap the heroes’ feet, and thorny branches cut through the space like living whips.

Poison Ivy attacked alone, but with multiplied fury. She tried to contain both of them at once—a thick vine aimed at Aqualad’s neck, another attempting to ensnare Artemis’s ankles, while a third, thorn-laden branch flew straight for the archer’s chest. But they were too skilled. Aqualad dodged with Atlantean grace, his body spinning in the air, his tattoos shimmering briefly as he used small jets of swamp water to block and redirect the attacks. Artemis rolled, leaped, and dodged with acrobatic precision, her light feet touching the wet ground just enough to propel her next move. Neither gave an opening. Each of Poison Ivy’s lashes met only air or a perfect defense.

For a moment, the villain found an opening. A particularly swift and treacherous vine struck Artemis from the side, wrapping itself around her waist and hurling her with brutal force. The archer flew several meters, crashing against a damp tree trunk before falling into the mud, rolling to cushion the impact. She got up quickly, spitting out dirt, but the blow had hurt.

Poison Ivy paused for a second, taking a deep breath. Something wasn’t right. A strange premonition, like a cold shadow sliding down her spine. She gazed at the wider battlefield, her green eyes narrowing as she swept across the swampy landscape.

In the distance, the forest was burning.

Blue and white flames licked the damp trees, steam rising in dense columns where the water evaporated instantly. Most likely Black Adam and those two brats—Forge and Starfire—were fighting there, destroying everything in their path. Closer, she saw Kid Flash in a red blur, helping Superboy restrain Ultra-Humanite. The white gorilla roared, brandishing his high-caliber weapon, but the speedster and the Superman clone worked in perfect sync, one distracting while the other attacked.

Then her eyes met Aqualad and Artemis coming towards her again, determined, their bodies tense and ready for the next round.

It was at that moment that Poison Ivy realized.

Two were missing.

Robin and Miss Martian weren’t there.

His gaze immediately fell upon the Unjust Society’s hideout. At the center of the base, the colossal tree stood like a vegetal god, its trunk wide and imposing, its branches forming a living dome above the entire structure. It was the beating heart of their plan—the central antenna that controlled all the mutant plants scattered throughout the world.

His green eyes widened as he noticed something was wrong.

Across the entire surface of the tree, several tiny points of light shone faintly, almost invisible against the dark bark. Intermittent red dots. She recognized them immediately. She had faced Batman before. She knew that pattern. They were explosives—high-powered charges, placed with surgical precision, ready to detonate.

Time seemed to stand still.

Poison Ivy felt the vegetal heart within her chest race. Her lips trembled. Her voice came out low, laden with genuine horror and maternal despair:

“My baby doesn’t…”

The explosion was cataclysmic.

The colossal tree exploded in an incandescent fireball that illuminated the entire swamp. White and orange flames erupted from within, consuming the trunk in milliseconds. The canopy of branches disintegrated into a cloud of ash and sparks. The roar was deafening, echoing throughout the swamp like primordial thunder. Shockwaves ripped through the air, toppling nearby trees, raising a wall of mud and water that spread in all directions. The tree’s sap burned with a sweet and acrid smell, transforming into black smoke that rose in a gigantic column.

Poison Ivy was far enough away not to be directly engulfed by the flames, but she felt the impact like a punch to the chest. The shockwave hit her full force, making her green body stagger backward. The searing heat reached her like a hellish wind, singeing the tips of her red hair and slightly burning her skin. She instinctively raised her arms, protecting her face, as she watched, in slow motion, the tree that was an extension of her own soul being consumed by the fire.

“My baby…” she whispered, her voice broken, her green eyes wide with pure pain and utter loss.

The heart of his plan—the central antenna that governed all mutant plants across the world—had been destroyed in a single instant of fire and light. The column of black smoke rose into the swamp sky, carrying with it ashes and burnt fragments of what had once been his most perfect creation.

Poison Ivy stood still amidst the chaos, her body trembling, her gaze fixed on the fireball consuming her tree, feeling every piece of her plant essence crumble along with it.

From atop the half-destroyed structure, Megan and Robin emerged like silent shadows. They were perched on the edge of a twisted metal platform, gazing down at the chaos unfolding in the swamp. Black smoke from the colossal tree still rose in thick columns, carrying the acrid smell of charred wood and burnt sap. The air was heavy, damp, laden with ash that floated like dark snow.

Poison Ivy, still kneeling in the mud, slowly raised her gaze. Her green eyes, once filled with pain and loss, now burned with pure murderous fury. She saw the two young men up there—the executors of her masterpiece. The tree that was an extension of her soul, the heart of her overall plan, had been reduced to ashes because of them. Her lips trembled, her green fingers clenching into claws.

With a guttural cry of rage, she raised her arms. She drew upon the last drop of energy that remained in her weakened body. The swamp roots responded immediately. They erupted from the ground like crazed serpents, thick, thorny, covered in dark sap. Dozens of plant tentacles shot upward, whipping the air toward Megan and Robin, seeking to tear, bind, destroy.

However, Megan simply raised one hand. Her eyes gleamed with psychic power. An invisible barrier of telekinesis materialized around them, a shimmering shield of green energy. As soon as the roots made contact with the barrier, they exploded into pieces. Sap and splinters of wood flew in all directions, without causing the slightest effect. Megan floated calmly, easily sustaining the shield, destroying all the vines that Poison Ivy sent against them. Each attack from the villain was repelled, each root transformed into useless shreds before it even got close.

Poison Ivy screamed in frustration, her arms trembling as she tried to gather more strength.

It was then that, from the midst of the dense smoke that consumed the entire structure, a radioactive green beam cut through the air. The beam struck Megan squarely in the chest, hurling her away like a rag doll. She spun in the air, her body hitting a distant tree with a dull thud.

A deep, metallic voice echoed from the curtain of smoke:

“Children… Children ruined another plan? Unacceptable.”

Two figures emerged from the shadows and black smoke.

First, Atomic Skull, his skull glowing with radioactive green energy, his eyes burning like embers. Beside him, the Joker, walking with his characteristic bouncy gait, his white makeup cracked, a wide, insane grin stretched across his red lips.

Robin jumped off the platform without hesitation. He landed beside Megan, helping her to her feet. His arms wrapped around her waist, supporting her as she caught her breath.

But there was no time for rest.

The Joker was already on top of them. With a maniacal laugh, he attacked Robin from all sides at once—rapid punches, spinning kicks, treacherous knee strikes. The boy wonder dodged by millimeters, his body moving in perfect acrobatics, but the villain gave no respite, laughing the whole time.

Atomic Skull, in turn, aimed his radioactive rays directly at Megan. Green beams cut through the air, charged with deadly energy. Megan raised her hands quickly, creating a solid telekinetic shield. The rays struck the barrier, scattering green sparks, but failed to penetrate it.

Meanwhile, Poison Ivy, still enraged, tried to attack Robin and Megan from behind. New vines began to silently rise from the ground, ready to ensnare them.

She was caught off guard.

Artemis fell from above like a bolt of lightning. The archer delivered a powerful kick directly to Poison Ivy’s head, the impact sending the villain tumbling to the side in the mud. Poison Ivy grunted, trying to get up.

But Artemis had no time to celebrate. Suddenly, she knelt down, screaming, howling in pain as she held her own head with both hands. Her eyes widened, her body trembling violently.

Count Vertigo stood slowly behind her, a cold smile on his face. He had counterattacked mentally, sending a psychic wave directly at the archer’s mind.

He turned to his companions from the Unjust Society, his voice laden with cold authority:

“Kill them. Kill them all.”

At that same instant, Black Adam surged through the forest like a hurricane. He carried two bodies ahead of him, using them as human shields—just as Erick had done to him minutes before. The villain ran at high speed, smashing trees and rocks in his path, the bodies serving as living battering rams. He reached the clearing where everyone was fighting, spun at high speed, and hurled the two bodies with brutal force toward Superboy, who was battling Ultra-Humanite.

The three bodies collided violently. Superboy and the two who had been thrown were hurled against a group of trees, which shattered on impact.

The bodies that had been thrown were those of Forge and Starfire. Now they lay fallen in the mud, near Superboy, motionless for a moment.

Wotan returned furious.

The ancient mage had been struck head-on by the Martian bio-ship, but now he returned from the midst of the smoke and shattered trees, his dark cloak torn and billowing like living smoke. His eyes gleamed with pure hatred. His hands rose, palms facing down, and golden, crackling rays of arcane energy exploded from his fingers like electric serpents.

He directed all his power against Robin and Aqualad, who were still suffering the residual effects of Count Vertigo’s mental attack. The two boys barely had time to react. The lightning engulfed them, their bodies arching violently as magical electricity coursed through every nerve. Robin screamed, knees buckling, mask cracking from the heat. Aqualad tried to resist, his Atlantean tattoos glowing a desperate blue, but the current was too strong. His muscles contracted, smoke rising from his skin.

The Joker, watching from atop a high root, threw his head back and laughed hysterically. His yellow eyes gleamed with pure delight as he watched Robin being electrocuted.

“Hahaha! Look at that! The old wizard frying the Boy Wonder like a chicken! What a hilarious scene!” He clapped his hands, his thin body writhing with laughter. “Keep going, Wotan! Make him dance!”

Wotan did not answer. He only intensified the flow. The golden rays multiplied, forming a crackling network that spread across the battlefield like a living web.

The wizard then directed the lightning bolts at Artemis. The archer, still writhing under Count Vertigo’s mental attack, was thrown backward as if kicked. Her body spun in the air, electrocuted at the same time as she suffered the psychic invasion. She screamed, her voice hoarse, falling backward into the mud while golden sparks danced across her skin.

The next target was Megan. Wotan launched a thick, bright beam at the Martian. Megan tried to maintain her telekinetic shield, but the arcane energy was too much. The beam pierced the barrier as if it were paper, striking her chest. Megan instantly lost control of the shield. Her body was thrown backward, still reeling from the electric shock, her green skin glowing with discharges that caused her muscles to contract uncontrollably.

Kid Flash, who was trying to move at high speed to help, was also caught. A secondary lightning bolt from Wotan struck him in the back. The speedster lost his balance, his legs giving way, his body trembling as the electricity held him in place. His movements, normally a blur, became slow and painful.

One by one, the members of the Justice League’s junior team were trapped in a chain of lightning. Wotan’s lightning bolts connected them, forming a crackling net that held them all immobilized, bodies arched, smoke rising from their skin, muffled screams echoing through the swamp.

Forge stood up.

He was on his knees in the mud, his armor cracked and smoking. He saw Wotan’s golden lightning bolt coming towards him. Elemental fire roared in his chest. He activated the thrusters on his legs, blue flames exploding beneath his feet, trying to take flight before the lightning bolt reached him.

But Black Adam was faster.

The villain appeared above him as if he had teleported—in reality, it was merely his godlike speed pushed to its limit. Black Adam clasped his hands above his head and descended with a devastating hammer punch directly onto the top of Forge’s helmet.

The impact was brutal.

Forge was buried in the ground. The armor sank into the mud, creating a deep crater. Earth and water flew in all directions. The visor cracked. The HUD flashed bright red, critical damage alerts appearing in sequence: structural integrity 34%, unstable power systems, overloaded regeneration.

Immediately afterwards, Wotan’s lightning bolt struck him.

The electric current enveloped Forge’s entire body. The armor conducted the energy, golden sparks dancing across the E10 plates. He felt every voltage coursing through his green skin, his muscles, his bones. The elemental fire tried to fight back, but the lightning was too strong. His body writhed within the armor, teeth clenched, a low growl escaping his throat.

On the helmet’s internal screen, the statuses flashed frantically in red:

Thermal damage: critical. Electrical overload: 87%. Nuclear core integrity: compromised.

Amidst the excruciating pain, the electricity that fried his nerves, the sensation that his own blood was boiling, Erick managed to have only one clear and cold thought:

I hadn’t made this armor to withstand energy blasts…

But apparently Wotan’s lightning bolts were much more powerful than they appeared to be.

The entire swamp trembled with Wotan’s power. The current of lightning held almost the entire team captive, bodies motionless, smoke rising, muffled screams mingling with the crackling of electricity. Forge, buried in the crater, still resisted, but his armor creaked, the elemental fire flickered uncertainly, and the battle seemed to be reaching a critical point.

Megan rolled through the black mud, her body trembling violently, until she stopped at Aqualad’s feet. The Atlantean leader stood in the center of the chaos, arms raised above his head, hands open, supporting most of the lightning bolts that Wotan was unleashing upon the team. His muscles trembled with the effort, Atlantean tattoos gleaming in an intense blue that fought against the oppressive gold of Wotan’s magic. Since childhood, Aqualad had been trained in the arcane arts of Atlantis; he resisted more than the others, but even so, the price was high—smoke rose from his skin, veins bulged in his neck, teeth clenched in a grimace of pure pain.

He stepped forward, deliberately and painfully, and drew toward himself the lightning bolts that were afflicting Megan. The magical electricity immediately surged through his body, intensifying his suffering. His knees nearly buckled, but he stood firm, receiving the onslaught that had previously tormented the Martian. Megan, still on the ground, gasping and dazed by Wotan’s lightning, looked up at him.

Aqualad looked down, his voice hoarse but clear even through the pain:

“Plano B.”

Megan nodded, still dizzy from the injury, but her eyes were already focused on the mission. She closed her eyelids, concentrating on the bio-ship’s unique mental signature. A silent, precise command was sent. The ship, camouflaged and invisible to any sensor, responded immediately. It stopped silently in mid-air, directly above Aqualad and Megan, and opened a small hatch. A dark bundle fell from the sky, hitting the mud at Aqualad’s feet with a muffled sound.

It was the same bag that Kid Flash had questioned minutes earlier inside the bio-ship.

Aqualad closed the energy vortex that sustained some of the lightning bolts. The golden current missed its target and struck the mud, scattering into harmless sparks. His hands still trembling, he grabbed the bag, unzipped it with a swift movement, and pulled out a gleaming golden helmet. He held the object high above his head, the ancient metal gleaming even in the dim swamp light.

At that instant, Wotan completely lost his focus. His lightning bolts stopped flowing. The ancient wizard stood frozen in mid-air, his eyes wide with pure shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“The Helmet… of Destiny?” he murmured, his voice heavy with disbelief and a trace of ancient dread.

“Kid Flash!” he yelled desperately.

“No, Aqualad! No!”

But before he could say more, Black Adam appeared as a black and gold blur. A brutal blow hurled the speedster away, his body spinning in the air until it crashed into a distant tree.

Black Adam then turned to Aqualad and Megan, his fist already retracted for a final attack.

A black shape collided with him with titanic force. Superboy appeared to protect his companions, his broad shoulder striking Black Adam in the chest and sending the villain crashing violently into a nearby tree, the wood cracking from the impact.

Aqualad didn’t hesitate any longer.

He lowered the golden helmet onto his own head with a firm movement. The instant the Helmet of Destiny clicked into place, his eyes gleamed with an intense gold. A radiant light began to emanate from his entire body, growing in intensity until it enveloped his whole form. The golden light pulsed once, twice… and then vanished completely.

Aqualad was no longer there.

In his place, floating a few inches above the ground, was Doctor Fate. His blue and gold cloak rippled with ancient power, his gleaming helmet covering his face, his imposing presence filling the surrounding space like a force of cosmic order itself. He levitated slowly, rising into the air until he was face to face with Wotan.

Erick noticed Doctor Fate and Wotan fighting in the sky above the swamp. The two mages were too powerful for anyone in that clearing to face. Perhaps Black Adam had a chance, but Erick honestly didn’t know the true level of power those two ancient beings wielded. The battle between them was a spectacle of light and arcane energy—golden rays colliding against mystical shields, explosions of power that made the air tremble and illuminated the night sky like a second sun.

On the ground, his teammates, who moments before had been tortured by Wotan’s lightning bolts, now rose with renewed determination. Kid Flash shook his body to rid himself of the last sparks, Artemis gripped her bow with renewed strength, Aqualad breathed heavily but steadily, and Superboy already growled, fists clenched, ready to return to the fight. They all advanced against the remaining villains of the Injustice League.

Erick saw the ultimate heavyweight — Black Adam — facing Superboy. He knew the villain was too powerful an opponent for the Superman clone to handle alone. Without wasting time, Erick activated the telepathic link he shared with the entire team, his clear and authoritative mental voice cutting through the chaos:

Starfire, you, and Superboy. We’re going to face Black Adam. The rest of you, take what’s left.

Robin replied immediately, his voice firm in everyone’s mind:

Yes. Keep the big guy away from us.

That was enough.

Erick began pushing the armor to its limits. He realized that, no matter how much he had rebuilt and reforged a new version, it was once again not enough to face villains like Black Adam, who operated on a completely different level. Still, he stood. Elemental flames exploded at his feet, jets of blue-white plasma roaring like thrusters, allowing him to take flight. Starfire followed soon after, golden solar energy glowing around her body as she sped alongside him.

The two collided with Black Adam, who at that moment was strangling Superboy with one hand. The impact was violent. Black Adam was forced to release the clone, his body being dragged backward by the combined force of Erick and Starfire.

Superboy, now free, wasted no time. He turned to where Black Adam had been taken and made his decision. He raced like a bullet toward the three, his feet kicking up mud and water in bursts as they cut through the forest.

Black Adam froze in mid-air as if the mere act of pushing him was child’s play. He gave a grim grin to Erick and Starfire, who were trying to use him as a battering ram.

“The fun is over.”

However, another figure crashed into him. Superboy, who had come running at high speed, jumped and landed a direct knee strike to Black Adam’s head. The impact echoed like thunder.

Erick seized the opening. He circled the villain, raised his left arm—which glowed with an intense white light—and unleashed a blast of incandescent plasma directly into Black Adam’s back. The heat explosion distorted the air.

Starfire wasted no time. She condensed golden flames in her hand, stepped back slightly, and launched several solar spheres at the villain. Each sphere exploded with solar force upon impact.

Superboy, after being kneed, leaped away, grabbed a gigantic swamp rock, and hurled it at Black Adam. The colossal rock struck him and shattered into millions of pieces, causing no visible damage.

Black Adam laughed, his voice deep and full of contempt:

“Worms… do you think you can defeat me?”

Erick spun again, landing a punch to the back of Black Adam’s neck, concentrating the thermal energy of his flames and causing a localized explosion. Starfire then delivered a precise knee strike to the villain’s head, making his head recoil forcefully.

Superboy leaped high, leaped over them, and landed toward Black Adam with a hammer-style punch—both arms raised above his head—striking the villain in the back of the neck and sending him crashing to the ground with a thud that cracked the earth.

And the three of them started punching each other.

Superboy, taking advantage of his enhanced speed, landed a rapid sequence of right and left punches, always trying to prevent Black Adam from moving or catching any of the slower teammates. Erick punched like a possessed fanatic, each fist charged with plasma and fury. Starfire hurled all the solar energy spheres she could form, golden explosions illuminating the swamp.

They continued, blow after blow, even though the attacks seemed to have little or no visible effect. Superboy used his superhuman speed and strength to keep Black Adam off balance. Erick relentlessly pounded away, his gigantic arms moving like pistons. Starfire launched sphere after sphere, the air smelling of ozone and solar heat.

The fight continued like this—three against one, tireless, desperate, trying at all costs to prevent Black Adam from retaliating. Superboy always tried to block their path, Erick punching as if his life depended on it, Starfire bombarding with solar energy. They knew that, however ineffective the blows seemed, they couldn’t stop. They couldn’t give them space.

Because if Black Adam were able to truly fight back… all would be lost.

The fight was becoming brutal.

No matter how hard Erick, Starfire, and Superboy tried to block him, it was nearly impossible to contain Black Adam. The villain was a force of nature—each punch he threw seemed to carry the weight of an enraged god. The three heroes attacked him relentlessly: Erick punching with incandescent plasma, Starfire launching golden solar spheres, Superboy using his superhuman speed and strength to keep up the pace. But Black Adam resisted. His defined muscles tensed beneath his black and gold suit, his eyes gleaming with divine power as he absorbed the blows as if they were mere inconveniences.

Suddenly, Black Adam began spinning in place at high speed. His body transformed into a living tornado of brute force. The spin was so violent that it created a gale that uprooted nearby trees. Erick, Starfire, and Superboy were hurled away like leaves in the wind. The three collided with tree trunks and mud, rolling several meters before they could get up.

Black Adam stopped, a cruel smile curving his lips. From his hands, black and gold rays began to appear, crackling with divine energy. He turned directly to Erick, his eyes gleaming with deadly intent.

“You will suffer the same as you will die.”

And just as he raised his hands to attack Erick with everything he had, a blue and red blur crashed into him at astonishing speed. The impact was devastating. Black Adam was thrown to the ground, his body creating a gigantic crater in the damp swamp soil. Earth, mud, and water flew in all directions.

From the smoke rising from the crater, three figures slowly descended.

Captain Atom, glowing with silvery nuclear energy. Captain Marvel, his red and gold suit gleaming even in the dim light. And, in the center of the crater, where the smoke was beginning to dissipate, Superman appeared, his cape billowing in the wind, his gaze firm and determined.

Black Adam, still lying at the bottom of the crater, began to rise. His muscles trembled with rage, but he stopped when he saw the heroes approaching. It wasn’t just these three heavyweights who had arrived. In the sky, several other members of the Justice League descended rapidly—Flash running in a red blur, Green Lantern creating emerald light constructs, Wonder Woman flying with her blazing lasso, and more heroes heading towards where Erick’s teammates were still fighting the remaining villains.

Superman turned directly to Erick. His voice was calm, but full of authority.

“We need to meet in a better situation.”

Erick, still with his armor cracked and his body aching, could only respond with a tired half-smile:

“Let’s think about that later.”

Meanwhile, he looked up at the sky. Several heroes were approaching, descending in formation. Black Adam was surrounded. The villain looked around, seeing the Justice League arriving from all sides. There was no longer room for escape or an easy counterattack.

He had no choice but to surrender.

Bartholomew Swamp, moments before a chaotic battlefield, now witnessed a turning point. The Unjust Society had been thwarted by the arrival of the world’s greatest heroes.

All the villains were taken to the clearing.

After realizing they were completely surrounded by the Justice League, one by one they raised their hands in surrender. The air of Bartholomew Swamp still smelled of burnt sap, damp mud, and ozone of magical energy. Superman, Captain Atom, and Captain Marvel emerged from the trees, bringing Black Adam restrained between them, the three heavyweights of the League holding the villain firmly. Along with them came the rest of the young team that had faced the tyrant—Superboy with his face marked by bruises, Starfire still glowing with residual solar energy, and Forge walking with his armor cracked, but with his head held high.

The other villains were also dragged to the center of the clearing: Count Vertigo, Ultra-Humanite, Atomic Skull, Poison Ivy, and finally, the Joker.

The Joker, seeing that even Black Adam was restrained and handcuffed with special bracelets, became completely enraged. His yellow eyes widened in maniacal fury. He began to scream, his high-pitched, broken voice echoing through the swamp:

“It shouldn’t be like this! It should end today!”

Suddenly, he burst into laughter as if he had remembered a joke only he understood. The laughter was hysterical, uncontrolled, making his thin body contort. He turned to the heroes around him, raised his hands, and activated the runic gloves he still wore. The runes glowed intensely.

The plants responded.

Vines and tree roots the size of gigantic human trunks rose from the swampy ground like awakening monsters. From them sprouted fleshy, red flowers that opened with a moist sound. At the same instant, a dense, greenish gas began to spread through the air, carrying the sweet, deadly scent of Joker’s Venom.

Batman immediately shouted, his voice piercing:

“Joker’s poison! Don’t breathe!”

He leaped over a root that was trying to ensnare him, landed beside the Joker, and delivered a devastating cross to the clown’s chin. The impact was brutal. The Joker spun in the air and fell unconscious into the mud, completely passed out.

But the gas had already spread. Green clouds floated across the clearing, advancing toward the heroes and the young team.

Then an intense golden light rose from the center of the clearing, soaring above everyone like a beacon. From the light emanated a voice that everyone recognized—it was the voice of Kent Nelson, but mixed with an ancient and deep tone, charged with cosmic power.

Doctor Fate’s voice echoed:

“Do not be afraid.”

He created a giant Ankh made of golden light. The ancient Egyptian symbol floated in the air, shining with almost blinding intensity. The Ankh began to suck all the Joker’s gas into itself, drawing in the poisonous clouds as if they were smoke being inhaled. In a few seconds, the air in the clearing was completely clean, the poison gone.

Once all the gas had been absorbed, Doctor Fate spoke again, his voice resonating with authority:

“Fate intervened.”

A few minutes later, the heroes had already made the entire arrest.

The villains of the Unjust Society were gathered in a clearing, all wearing special handcuffs designed to neutralize their powers. Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, and Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) stood guard in a nearby clearing, watching the prisoners closely to ensure none of them tried anything.

In another clearing, the Justice League’s junior team was having a tense little meeting. Wally West — Kid Flash — paced back and forth, furious, gesturing wildly as he spoke:

“What were you thinking?! How could you let him put on that helmet?!”

He was clearly remembering that his friend Aqualad was now under Nabu’s control. His voice was thick with worry and anger:

“Nabu will never release him now. He will remain trapped within Lord Fate forever!”

However, something unexpected happened.

Doctor Fate, still floating above everyone, slowly raised his hands. He grasped the golden helmet and, with a firm movement, removed it from his head.

An intense golden light flashed for an instant, blinding everyone around. When the light faded, Aqualad was there again—in his Atlantean uniform, free, with clear eyes and an exhausted but conscious expression.

Robin was the first to react, his voice surprised:

“Kaldur? Did Nabu let you return?”

Aqualad took a deep breath, still adjusting to his own body, and replied in a calm but tired voice:

“No… he wasn’t going to allow it. However, his friend Kent Nelson was a great help. And he sent me a hello.”

Bartholomew Swamp, which minutes before had been a chaotic battlefield, now witnessed the end of the fight. The Unjust Society was contained. The junior team was reunited. And fate, for the moment, had chosen to intervene in favor of the heroes.

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