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The Pied Piper's flute music attracted every single one of the infected. Even those still attacking the survivors outside abandoned their prey and swarmed into the portal opened by Eve.
Inside the Dark Dimension, Eve was leading an army of the infected toward the Flash and Pied Piper. The Pied Piper kept playing his flute while the Flash, holding an energy pistol, aimed at Eve as she walked through the crowd. The Flash waited, not rushing to shoot until a massive number of the infected had entered the Dark Dimension.
This was Lucian's plan. No one was sure if they would be able to escape the Dark Dimension before the portal collapsed. But the Flash had no regrets. If she could eliminate this many infected people at once, the sacrifice would be worth it.
Just then, her lover, Hawkman, flew in. He soared across the sky of the Dark Dimension and landed in front of them.
"What are you doing? Get out of here now!" the Flash cried out. She could accept her own death, but not his. She wasn't even certain her own powers would allow her to escape after Eve's death; Hawkman, with only his wings, would be in even greater danger.
"Don't you dare try to die alone! If we have to die, we'll die together!" Hawkman's words were resolute, a simple declaration that conveyed the deep love between them.
Wiping a tear from her eye, the Flash knew there was no time for emotion. Most of the infected were now inside the Dark Dimension, and it was time to act.
But as she was about to shoot, she realized Eve was small, and many of the taller infected were blocking her line of fire. She couldn't get a clear shot.
"Leave it to me. I'm not here just to die with you!" Hawkman declared. With a flap of his wings, he flew toward Eve. He grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her out of the crowd. As a black witch, Eve naturally tried to resist, but Pied Piper increased the volume of his flute, forcibly controlling her heartbeat. Unable to fight back, Eve was easily caught by Hawkman and dropped in front of the Flash.
"This is it—it's all over!" The Flash aimed the pistol at Eve's head, showing no mercy for the infected witch who posed the greatest threat to humanity.
But just as she was about to pull the trigger, an unexpected attack occurred.
Because Pied Piper was focused on controlling Eve, his control over the other infected had weakened. A red beam of light shot toward the Flash. She managed to dodge it, but the gun in her hand was damaged.
The attacker was none other than Black Manta, who was also among the infected. Damian and the others had failed to kill him in the previous battle, allowing him to retreat. Now, Black Manta had secretly used the heat rays from his helmet to launch a new attack.
"Oh no!"
From the outside world, Clark Kent saw the entire scene with his super-vision. He immediately planned to fly into the Dark Dimension to help them. With the energy pistol destroyed, their non-aggressive abilities made them no match for so many infected.
But as Clark was about to move, he was overcome by a sudden sense of weakness. Turning, he saw that Lucian had activated the Kryptonite radiation in his armor and was now gripping his arm. Under its influence, Clark lost all his powers, becoming as vulnerable as an ordinary person.
Before Clark could question him, Lucian spoke directly. "Don't forget, you are also a Superman. If you get infected and are trapped in the Dark Dimension, I'll never be able to sleep again."
Meanwhile, the three heroes inside the Dark Dimension were in grave danger. Pied Piper's music prevented the infected from rushing them, but that was all he could do. Controlled by the Anti-Life Equation, the infected were still closing in. If they were overwhelmed by the horde, they would surely die. The destruction of the Flash's gun had sealed their fate.
Looking at Eve and the infected behind her, Pied Piper made a final decision. He stopped playing his flute, grabbed it like a weapon, and rushed toward the witch, who was still under his control. He plunged the flute into Eve's head, killing her instantly.
But at the same time, the three of them faced a massive crisis. Without the flute's sound to control them, the infected began to charge. The portal, too, began to collapse due to Eve's death.
"Hurry, let's go!"
Hawkman and the Flash weren't willing to die in the Dark Dimension without a fight. With the Flash's powers, their mission had been dangerous, but not necessarily a death sentence. The Flash grabbed Hawkman with one hand and Pied Piper with the other, preparing to use her teleportation powers to escape.
But Black Manta, whose high-tech suit gave him enhanced speed, knocked the Flash down, interrupting her ability.
"Get out of my way!"
But the Flash's teleportation ability was her only real advantage. In a physical fight, she was no match for Black Manta, a foe who could hold his own against Aquaman. Even with Hawkman and Pied Piper fighting alongside her, they couldn't defeat him.
On the outside, Lucian took his eyes off the three heroes. In his estimation, they were already dead. He turned his attention to the collapsing portal.
"So, it doesn't close immediately, but slowly dissipates after losing its magic source? Without a closer look, I can't tell if this portal is a space teleportation door or a barrier between two worlds."
In that moment of distraction, Lucian felt a sudden, powerful force from the arm he was holding. Before he could react, Clark broke free and flew straight into the Dark Dimension.
"You brat!" Lucian shouted, but it was too late.
In his frustration, Lucian checked his armor. The Kryptonite radiation was working perfectly. He couldn't understand how Clark had broken free. It was one thing for Superman to find a way to cheat, but it was another for a Kryptonian "child."
"Do you Kryptonians just eat Kryptonite for breakfast?!"