| Roanoke Island - October 16
Kori retreated toward Green Lantern just as a green shield construct formed in front of her. Grundy shattered it with a single punch, then leapt after her—only to be intercepted midair by Captain Marvel.
Across the world, the creations of new pillars of fire and natural disasters had abruptly ceased. Even so, the Justice League remained stretched thin, still saving civilians. Only John Stewart and Martian Manhunter were able to reach Roanoke in time.
Even with their arrival, the fight remained brutal. Solomon Grundy, empowered by Chaos magic, was faster and stronger than both Martian Manhunter and Captain Marvel. That disparity made it difficult for Kori and John to contribute meaningfully; they could barely react to Grundy's movements and often became liabilities, forcing the heavier hitters to protect them mid-fight.
Within minutes, all of them looked battered.
None more so than Kent Nelson.
The blow that had struck him had cracked the right side of Doctor Fate's helmet. His aging body had not withstood either the impact to his head or the force with which he'd been driven into the earth. Kent Nelson was dead—and even the advanced healing protocols integrated into Kori's nanode were powerless to save him.
The battle raged on.
Captain Marvel was caught by the cape, swung like a rag doll, and hurled directly into the fast-approaching Martian Manhunter.
John reacted instantly, forming glowing green shackles that slammed Grundy into the ground. J'onn seized the opening and dove into Grundy's mind. The undead monster snapped its head toward John with a roar and strained against the chains, which began to visibly crack.
Kori, having analyzed Grundy's movements for some time, acted preemptively. "Nanode, open a boom tube to… Takron."
She almost said the sun—but stopped herself. If Grundy truly was magically indestructible, exposing him to something like that might only make him exponentially stronger.
Takron was safer.
The arena where she had spent six years imprisoned by the Gordanians. A place of bloodshed and slow execution masquerading as entertainment. Nothing would be lost if it was destroyed entirely.
As she predicted, Grundy tore free of the shackles and leapt toward her and John the instant the boom tube opened. He couldn't alter his momentum midair.
What he did next stunned her.
Grundy seized the edges of the boom tube and held on. Either boom tubes had tangible boundaries—which she hadn't known—or Grundy could physically grasp and bend space itself. She desperately hoped it was the former.
Captain Marvel sped in, slamming into Grundy with overwhelming force, trying to shove him through. Grundy tanked the blows, holding firm, even swatting Marvel aside as he began compressing the boom tube with raw strength.
"Grundy has no mind. No soul," Martian Manhunter said as he joined the assault. "He is a corpse animated solely by magic."
That knowledge seemed to free Marvel. He attacked with renewed ferocity.
Kori understood why. If Marvel had believed even a spark of life remained in Grundy, he would have fought to preserve it—just as Superman and many others in the League would.
It was naïve. Especially now—with an ally dead and the world on the brink.
And yet, it was precisely that belief that made heroes like Superman so beloved. They embodied the idea that people were fundamentally good. That even the worst villains might be redeemed.
Kori admired that… even if she couldn't share it.
Only the strong could afford mercy. For much of her life, she had been weak—and had suffered for it. She understood that some beings didn't deserve mercy, because mercy only gave them more chances to hurt others.
Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern joined Marvel, all three pushing against Grundy as hard as they could. He held on—barely.
Then he unleashed a pulse of red Chaos magic that blasted them all away.
But Kori was already moving.
She passed through the fading magic unharmed with her armor. "Nanode, close boom tube."
The portal snapped shut. Grundy hung in the air for a fraction of a second, limbs spread wide. Beneath the rage clouding his mind, Kori glimpsed the faintest trace of awareness as he tried to counterattack, raising both fists.
Too late.
Her Starbolt-wreathed fist—enhanced by her armor—crashed into Grundy's face in an overhand strike carrying the force of multiple earthquakes.
His body slammed into the ground, forming a massive crater, with Kori following immediately after.
She landed atop him and continued striking.
Her fists fell again and again, relentless—like when she'd beaten Brother Blood for trying to marry Rachel. This time, she held nothing back. She meant to pulp Grundy's head for killing Kent Nelson—a kind, gentle man—and for stealing a family figure from Rachel.
Grundy struggled beneath her at first. Then convulsed. Then went still.
Nothing remained of his face.
Those with weaker stomachs would have vomited. Fortunately, Tamaraneans had nine.
Kori stood, burning the gore from her fists with green Starbolts, and turned to see the others staring at her.
"What?" she said flatly. "He killed Kent. I just made sure he stays dead this time. Now let's focus on what actually matters—we need to rejoin the dimensions."
"…Right," Captain Marvel said. "I can handle that. You evacuate."
Kori gently lifted Kent Nelson's body. With a bruised John Stewart and Martian Manhunter, she flew a safe distance away from the island.
At last, the hour of Chaos was ending.
Then she faintly heard a shout.
"SHAZAM!"
A massive bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, engulfing the island—and the world—in blinding white light.
**
| Metropolis - October 16
Lois Lane was reporting live from a helicopter alongside her cameraman, Jimmy Olsen, following global reports of supernatural disasters and children disappearing. Curiously, her colleague Clark Kent had vanished again—something of a habit for him.
Her attention soon focused on the monster rampaging through Metropolis below, encased in a green containment suit as it tore through the streets.
Wonder Woman arrived, slamming her shield into the creature's head and driving it into the pavement. The monster—more than twice her size—responded by backhanding her into a building with crushing force.
It lunged to follow up, but Diana had already vanished. Her lasso snapped tight around the creature, and she swung it through several cars and into a semi-trailer. The truck exploded in a fiery blast.
Wonder Woman reeled the lasso back, believing the fight over.
Then the monster burst from the wreckage, enraged.
Through the camera, Lois got a clear look: pale purple skin, bone spurs jutting from its body, a tuft of white hair, glowing red eyes.
The monster hurled cars at Diana. She drew her sword, dodged two, split the third cleanly in half, then grabbed one half and smashed it into the creature, staggering it.
She moved to sever an arm—
The monster grabbed her head and slammed her into the ground so hard she bounced before flipping upright.
They charged again. Sword met fist. Diana's blade cracked—and the return blow drove her into the ground, forming a massive crater.
The monster seized the opening, pouncing onto the fallen Amazon and raining down punches that shook nearby buildings.
"This is… Doomsday," Lois muttered, staring at the devastation and thinking of the chaos unfolding across the world.
Doomsday raised Wonder Woman's broken sword, moving to finish her—
Twin red beams smashed into him, launching him into a propane tank that detonated violently.
"Superman!" Lois shouted. "Fly closer!" she yelled at the pilot.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Jimmy asked.
"Just do it."
Superman and Doomsday exchanged devastating blows, their collision shattering windows for miles. They became blurs of destruction, though Superman constantly diverted to save civilians.
When the battle slowed, the sight stunned everyone.
Superman was bleeding.
Exhausted. Bruised. His suit scorched and torn—already battered from saving thousands worldwide.
The Man of Steel had only ever bled from kryptonite before.
Now, Doomsday drew blood through sheer strength.
Worse, Doomsday seemed to be learning. He began exploiting Superman's restraint—hurling debris and cars toward civilians.
One struck the helicopter's blades.
The aircraft plummeted.
Lois shut her eyes—
—and opened them to find the helicopter gently set down on a rooftop.
She climbed out to see Superman leaning against it, injured and gasping for breath.
Disheveled hair. Familiar face.
"…Clark?"
"Lois," he said.
"You—never mind. You need to call in help."
"Every hero is fighting across the world," he replied with a bloodied smile. "I am the help."
Explosions rocked the street below.
"You can't fight that thing," Lois said desperately. "It's suicide."
"So is chasing monsters in a helicopter," Clark replied.
"Then you need to kill it. It's not a person. You can't save everyone."
A roar echoed as Doomsday charged.
"I'm Superman," Clark said—and vanished in a blur.
Lois ran to the edge as buildings toppled and the scale of the battle escalated even further—Superman taking hit after hit while still trying to save everyone, including the thing killing him.
"Damn it," Lois said. "Jimmy—follow me."