Captain Atom raised his right hand, orange-yellow flames igniting in his palm. The energy pulsing within it was intense, enough to make the air feel heavy, as if the entire prison, even the city itself, could be erased in an instant.
Mera's eyes sharpened with caution as she stepped back, summoning water without hesitation. A powerful surge rose from the ground like a crashing waterfall and slammed toward Captain Atom.
At the same moment, the flames in his hand compressed into a glowing yellow energy sphere and shot forward.
The two forces collided.
A deafening explosion tore through the corridor.
The shockwave blasted outward in all directions, throwing Green Arrow, Black Canary, Deathstroke, Nightwing, Ice Queen, and the others off their feet. The ceiling cracked under the pressure, debris raining down as the structure groaned under the strain.
Mera was caught in the blast and thrown backward. She hit the ground hard, pain burning through her body as blood slipped past her lips. Though she had formed a water barrier at the last moment, it had only reduced the damage, not stopped it.
Captain Atom stood still, watching her with cold detachment.
"So this is your ending."
"Is that so?"
The voice came from behind him.
Before he could react, a blur of motion struck him. The impact landed cleanly, a solid hit that sent him crashing forward.
Boom.
His body slammed into the wall, cracks spreading across it like a web before he slid down to the floor.
Adrian stood where he had struck, his expression cold as he looked down at him.
"It seems your ending isn't quite perfect."
Relief washed over Mera and Ice Queen at his arrival. With Adrian present, the situation shifted instantly.
Across from them, Nightwing and the others grew tense. Nightwing's hostility toward Adrian had never faded, but she held herself back. She knew his strength well enough. Acting recklessly here would only get them killed.
Green Arrow, however, stared with a different kind of intensity. Recognition hit him.
This was the man from Purgatory Island.
The one who had promised rescue.
The one who never came.
Anger surged through him, old resentment mixing with the present. His fingers twitched as if ready to draw an arrow.
Adrian ignored them all.
He stepped forward, grabbed Captain Atom by the neck, and lifted him off the ground. Their eyes met, Adrian's glowing faintly with a crimson hue.
Captain Atom showed no fear. Only mockery.
"I gave you a chance once," he said, his voice strained but steady. "A chance to choose correctly. You wasted it."
Before Adrian could respond, energy flared in Captain Atom's hand.
The blast struck Adrian's chest.
The explosion that followed filled the corridor with blinding light and thunderous force. The impact launched Adrian upward, smashing through the ceiling and blasting him out into the open sky.
The aftermath destabilized the entire structure.
The prison began to collapse.
"We need to move," Ice Queen shouted, pulling Mera up as debris rained down.
The others wasted no time. Everyone fled as the building gave way.
Moments later, Adrian dropped from the sky.
He landed heavily, the ground cracking beneath his feet. His chest showed signs of damage, but it was already healing.
Captain Atom descended as well, facing him again.
"You rely on strength," he said, his voice firm. "But I can release nuclear energy from within."
He surged forward, fist charged with power. The air itself seemed to ignite before his strike even landed.
Adrian raised his arms, blocking the attack. The force pushed him back, tearing through the ground beneath him.
Captain Atom stepped back, his expression hard.
"We have power, yet when we face equals, we trade blows like it means something. Do you know why?"
He moved again, faster this time, his body cutting through the air like lightning.
"Because it feels good."
The next impact shook the battlefield.
Adrian blocked again, but the force drove him backward.
Energy flared around them, each clash sending shockwaves through the area.
"Some in the Pentagon believe I can kill you," Captain Atom continued, his gaze sharp. "Do you know why I didn't act before?"
He raised his hand again.
"Because I am a soldier. I follow orders. I fight for my country, not myself."
The ground shattered beneath him as he launched forward once more.
"And now, the orders have changed."
His fist, glowing with condensed energy, drove toward Adrian.
Adrian caught it.
The explosion still went off, but this time, it failed to push him back.
Blood trickled faintly from Adrian's forehead, but his grip tightened.
"You think that will work twice?"
His body had already adapted.
Captain Atom was strong, strong enough to draw blood, but not enough to go further.
Adrian's eyes flared.
Heat vision shot forward.
Captain Atom barely dodged, but Adrian's follow-up punch slammed him into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
Before he could recover, Adrian grabbed him again.
A freezing beam erupted from Adrian's gaze, striking directly at his face.
Captain Atom screamed.
He tried to absorb the energy, but it overwhelmed him. His internal balance shattered.
Energy began leaking uncontrollably from his body.
With a desperate push, he forced Adrian back and staggered away, barely standing.
"I… can't control it anymore…"
His body trembled as energy burst from him in unstable waves.
He knew what it meant.
If it went critical, the explosion would devastate everything for miles.
He had one choice.
He looked at Adrian.
"Maybe I can still make the right one."
Summoning what little control he had left, Captain Atom rushed forward and grabbed Adrian from behind.
Then he launched upward.
They shot into the sky like a missile.
Adrian's eyes narrowed, surprised by the sudden move.
"You can't kill me," Captain Atom said, struggling to hold on. "I'm already dead. But I can take you with me."
They broke through the atmosphere.
Then, Captain Atom let go of control.
The explosion lit up space like a second sun.
The shockwave rippled outward.
Below, the impact reached the ground. Nightwing, who had chased after them, was struck by the blast and thrown back despite shielding herself.
On the surface, the force shook everything. Wind howled, the ground trembled, and the sky burned with light.
Deathstroke watched, his expression grim.
"That level of detonation… even Adrian shouldn't survive it."
Wonder Woman stared upward, disbelief in her eyes.
"Is he… gone?"
For a moment, no one had an answer.
High above, Adrian's body drifted amid the fading energy. His suit was torn, his body covered in injuries.
Then, slowly, those wounds began to close.
His healing kicked in, strengthened further by the energy he had absorbed.
Within moments, he was whole again.
His eyes opened, glowing brighter than before.
He dropped back toward Earth.
Boom.
He landed in a crater and walked toward Nightwing, who lay unconscious, her body battered from the blast.
He removed his cloak and covered her before lifting her carefully.
"Diana."
Her eyes fluttered open. A faint smile touched her lips.
"You're fine."
"Something like that won't kill me," Adrian replied.
She gave him a weak look. "You take unnecessary risks."
He didn't argue.
There had been a reason. The fight had pushed him further, strengthened him.
Still, he cut her off before she could continue.
"You need treatment."
"There are more important things," she said, though her voice lacked strength.
Adrian's gaze shifted toward the others in the distance.
"They're not going anywhere," he said coldly. "I'll deal with them later. All of them."
Without waiting, he took off, carrying her toward the nearest hospital in Metropolis.
Moments later, he returned.
The sound of his arrival echoed like thunder as he descended once more.
The others stared at him in disbelief.
Wonder Woman's lips parted slightly.
He had survived.
Not just survived, he stood there without a trace of weakness.