"But why would he help you?" Wonder Woman asked Adrian, her voice edged with disbelief.
She struggled to understand why a being of that level would intervene on their behalf. Did he have some deeper connection to Adrian?
Diana fell into thought. She knew Adrian well, yet not completely. From the moment she fled her arranged fate in the underworld and crossed paths with him, she had felt their destinies intertwine. Over time, their bond had deepened into something intimate and unspoken. Still, a quiet distance remained. Adrian carried secrets, and she had long sensed it.
Now, she suspected he had made contact with this entity without her knowledge.
"Curious, aren't you?"
Before Adrian could respond, Trickster appeared behind them without warning. Suspended in the air with arms stretched forward, he wore an amused expression.
"I have traveled across five dimensions and hundreds of worlds," he said, his tone brimming with pride. "And in all that time, only one individual has ever truly captured my attention."
His gaze locked onto Adrian.
"In every reality, there is only one personality fascinating enough to entertain me. That is Homelander."
He tilted his head slightly.
"I know what you are. You are not a simple Kryptonian, not like Superman."
Adrian's eyes hardened. "What exactly are you getting at?"
His voice turned cold. "If you expect gratitude, forget it. I do not accept favors without reason, especially not ones forced on me. And if your goal is to amuse yourself with me, you will find that far more difficult than you think."
Trickster smiled wider.
"You are full of contradictions, Adrian. A walking conflict. Even more intriguing than Batman. Something about you has changed, your mind feels stronger, sharper. I do not know why, but it only makes you more interesting."
He had no knowledge of Adrian's time in the mental world with Rachel, nor how it had sharpened his psyche. Still, he sensed the difference.
"And I refuse to exist in any multiverse where you are not."
Clark exhaled slowly, steadying himself. There was something wrong in Trickster's tone. This was not help. This was possession.
Anger surged through him.
"No one treats my brother like that," Clark said firmly. "So you are fighting a demon just to keep tormenting him?"
Trickster's expression twisted instantly.
His grin stretched unnaturally, his face shifting into something grotesque, something eerily reminiscent of the Joker. His lips split wide, exposing perfect teeth and vivid red gums.
"Homelander is mine," he whispered, his voice low and unhinged. "Mine, mine, mine."
The madness in him was unmistakable.
Before he could continue, Trigon broke free.
A massive hand descended from above like a collapsing sky. The pressure alone froze the air, as if reality itself bowed to his presence.
"Enough!" Trigon roared.
His flaming palm slammed down.
The impact exploded outward, and Trickster's body was crushed instantly, reduced to nothing beneath the force.
When Trigon lifted his hand, only a bowler hat remained, untouched.
Clark and Diana stared in stunned silence. That was it? Someone that powerful, gone in an instant?
Trigon turned his burning gaze toward Adrian.
"That nuisance cannot protect you anymore, Kyle. What remains to save you now?"
His fist crackled with energy before striking downward like lightning.
The ground erupted.
Adrian, Clark, and Diana scattered just in time, barely avoiding annihilation.
"I will find my daughter," Trigon declared, stepping forward. "And then I will take my revenge."
Flames surged from his hand as he pursued them relentlessly.
Adrian landed on a crumbling fragment of stone and raised his Yellow Lantern Ring. A blast of energy shot forward, clashing against Trigon's attack.
Despite the collapsing labyrinth and the violent distortions of space around them, Adrian pressed forward without hesitation.
Then, suddenly, Trigon stopped.
His massive body trembled.
A strange white light began to leak from his eyes and mouth. The glow intensified, forcing a roar of agony from him.
"Ahhhhh!"
Light burst through his features, piercing outward like beams cutting through darkness.
He staggered back, clutching his throat, coughing violently.
From his open mouth, a figure shot outward.
Trickster.
He adjusted his suit casually, wiping his lips, his eerie grin returning.
"You fool," he said lightly. "Your stupidity rivals your ugliness."
Trigon's fury exploded.
"I will destroy you both," he growled. "And I will savor every moment."
Flames erupted from his body, far stronger than before.
Trickster only sighed. "What a tedious demon."
He raised his hand.
The collision that followed shattered everything.
The labyrinth collapsed completely under the force of their clash. Light consumed the surroundings, devouring matter itself.
Diana cried out as her body burned under the energy. Even her divine resilience faltered as her skin blistered and her strength wavered.
Clark gritted his teeth, his muscles trembling under the strain. Pain coursed through him, forcing a strained cry from his throat.
At that moment, Shazam and Flash arrived, battered and bleeding. Shazam carried Flash as they dodged the destructive waves, barely making it to Adrian's side.
"Sorry," Shazam gasped. "We were too late. Batman and the others took everything. I could not find Rachel."
Adrian cut him off. "This is not the time."
He immediately formed a spherical barrier with his Yellow Lantern Ring, enclosing all of them.
"We are leaving," he shouted over the chaos.
There was no other option. Even without Rachel, staying meant death.
With a final glance at Trigon and Trickster, Adrian propelled the barrier forward, forcing their escape through the storm of destruction.
Mid-battle, Trickster glanced toward them.
"Leaving? Sensible choice."
He snapped his fingers.
Reality shifted.
In an instant, the burning wasteland vanished. The collapsing labyrinth, the flames, the chaos, all disappeared.
Blue skies stretched overhead.
A lush forest replaced ruin.
Adrian dismissed the barrier cautiously, scanning their surroundings.
Clark dropped to his knees, breathing deeply.
Diana knelt, staring upward in confusion.
Shazam lay flat on the ground, too exhausted to move.
Barry stood, surprisingly intact, though visibly drained.
"So... where are we?" he asked, looking around.
The vegetation was unfamiliar.
A voice answered from above.
"Where you belong."
They looked up.
Trickster hovered there, smiling.
"And since I brought you here, I might as well gather the others hiding in the House of Mystery. A minor inconvenience."
He snapped his fingers again.
Elsewhere, Constantine and Batman felt their surroundings distort. Their vision blurred, their consciousness briefly slipping.
When clarity returned, they were no longer inside the House of Mystery.
Instead, they stood in a quiet wilderness.
Batman turned sharply to Constantine. "Explain."
Constantine frowned, thinking. Then he gave a dry, honest answer.
"If I said I have no idea, would you believe me?"
"No."
Constantine sighed. "Then all I know is this, whatever moved us here is far beyond Zatanna's magic. Even the House of Mystery could not resist it. We were pulled out by force."