Kent Farm.
"What is this?"
Selina Kyle stood before the bookshelf in Adrian's study, several handwritten manuscripts resting in her hands. Curious, she flipped through the pages and discovered that the contents resembled the strange and unsettling writings Adrian had once described to her.
She had attempted to read one of Adrian's books before, but the dense and complicated material had quickly given her a headache, forcing her to abandon it. Scholarly pursuits had never suited her. Otherwise, she would have attended college instead of becoming Gotham's most accomplished cat burglar.
"You're still writing?"
Selina looked toward Adrian with genuine surprise.
"I always assumed that after becoming president or whatever you call yourself these days, you'd abandon all of this."
Because it had grown late, Martha had firmly insisted that Selina stay overnight at the farm. Unfortunately for Selina, who had always been a creature of the night, sleeping early felt almost like punishment.
Most evenings, she prowled the streets searching for corrupt businessmen worthy of theft, or wandered through abandoned alleys looking for stray kittens left to freeze in the cold.
Night always energized her.
Now she had slipped into Adrian's study without asking permission.
"Those aren't my words."
Adrian glanced at the manuscript.
"Lana wrote them years ago. Chloe gave them to me after Lana left."
"Lana Lang? Your high school goddess?"
Selina examined the pages again.
"I remember her. Your classmate. The girl both you and Clark were interested in."
Adrian looked at her.
"Lana and I were simply classmates. There was a fool named Clark Kent who spent years chasing after her, and in the end it accomplished nothing."
"Really?"
Selina's eyes narrowed mischievously.
"If she meant so little, why are her writings kept at the very top of your shelf? Judging by their condition, you take them down often."
She carefully returned the pages to their place.
"Honestly, you surprise me. I always thought you were someone who cared about nothing. Yet you keep old writings from a girl you claim meant nothing to you. Maybe people really can't be judged by appearances."
She took a slow breath.
"I thought I understood you, Adrian. Apparently, I barely know you at all."
Adrian ignored most of her observations.
"I'm going to bed."
He rose from his chair.
"If you're interested in Lana's writing, stay here and continue reading. She'd probably appreciate finding a kindred spirit."
He walked toward the door.
Moments later, Selina silently followed him, her footsteps as quiet as a cat's. She wrapped herself around his arm and smiled.
"Don't you need a cat to keep your bed warm?"
Adrian glanced at her graceful figure.
"Ordinarily, no. But if the cat is special enough, I might find the idea appealing."
He had no intention of rejecting Selina.
Adrian had never claimed to be a saint, nor did he intend to pretend otherwise.
Selina lifted her chin defiantly.
"Be careful. Cats scratch."
Although her tone carried playful resistance, the meaning was obvious. She would not simply curl up obediently.
Adrian said nothing further.
The two entered the room together.
Inside the empty study, the window had been left slightly open. The cold night breeze turned the pages of Lana's manuscript.
One sheet slipped free and drifted onto the floor.
Moonlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating several words written across the page.
Visitors from Hell.
The following morning.
Adrian and Selina arrived together at the Justice Society headquarters.
Only Diana was present inside the main hall.
Wonder Woman's eyes immediately moved toward Selina before settling on Adrian with obvious displeasure.
She understood enough about their relationship to draw her own conclusions.
Compared to her hostility toward Mera, however, she had never viewed Selina as a genuine rival. The Catwoman had simply never occupied enough of Diana's attention.
Yet seeing them arrive together still irritated her.
"So you still remember your responsibilities, Adrian."
"I always remember what's important, Diana."
"If you weren't arriving with a beautiful woman at your side, I'd find that statement much easier to believe."
Wonder Woman crossed her arms.
Selina quietly leaned closer to Adrian.
"Should I assume this Amazon is jealous?"
The intimate gesture only worsened Diana's mood.
She resisted the urge to use the Lasso of Truth on both of them.
"If the two of you wish to whisper, find somewhere private."
Adrian was about to respond when his expression suddenly changed.
His eyes narrowed.
"That smell."
Selina looked at him.
"What smell?"
She sensed nothing.
Adrian slowly surveyed the hall.
"Sulfur."
"What does that mean?"
Wonder Woman approached them, her face growing serious.
"The scent of sulfur is the smell of death."
Her voice became cold.
"It is the smell of Hellfire."
"And Etrigan's breath!"
A thunderous voice suddenly echoed through the chamber.
The red demon burst into the Justice Society hall.
Without hesitation, Etrigan opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of destructive energy directly at Adrian.
Crimson Hellfire erupted outward.
The entire hall shook as violent winds and explosive pressure rushed toward Adrian, Wonder Woman, and Selina.
The demon's third eye opened upon his forehead, burning with scarlet light.
Dark energy erupted beneath his feet, twisting around his enormous body like a violent tornado.
Ripples of destructive force spread outward.
Outside the headquarters, black clouds rapidly gathered.
The sky churned as rings of darkness expanded across the heavens, centering directly above the Justice Society.
Compared to the infernal flames descending upon him, Adrian appeared almost insignificant.
He did not move.
Selina stood beside him.
He simply endured the attack.
The Hellfire crashed against his body, tearing apart his skin and exposing crimson muscle beneath. Yet the damaged flesh regenerated immediately.
His expression remained completely emotionless.
The impact destroyed nerves responsible for ordinary reactions. Pain, heat, and spiritual damage assaulted him simultaneously.
Yet only his eyes changed.
Cold fury gathered within them.
"Etrigan the Demon."
Adrian clenched his fists.
"The demon residing within Jason Blood."
Beneath his cloak, Selina and Diana remained sheltered.
Because Adrian absorbed most of the attack himself, and because the cloak offered additional protection, neither woman suffered serious injuries.
He extended one hand against the endless wave of Hellfire.
Looking down, he saw both women struggling to remain standing.
Immediately, his Yellow Lantern Ring created a protective barrier around them.
At the same time, the Star Scepter glowed in Selina's hands.
"Selina, focus. Control the Star Scepter and protect yourself and Diana."
The Hellfire was overwhelming.
Sweat covered Selina's face.
"I can't. I can't do it."
Seeing her struggle even to speak, Adrian made his decision.
Frozen breath erupted from his lungs.
The surrounding Hellfire instantly crystallized.
The Star Scepter rose, carrying the two women away.
"Leave now."
Diana looked at him.
"What about you?"
She had no desire to abandon him.
"I'll stay and fight."
Adrian shook his head.
"You can't resist this Hellfire. Staying here serves no purpose."
He reinforced the protective barrier with another blast of freezing breath.
Then he seized the barrier itself.
Ignoring the pain in both women's eyes, he hurled them away from the battlefield.
"Go!"
The sphere shot through the burning hall.
After sending the two women away, Adrian finally released his anger.
His eyes radiated icy light.
He felt little concern toward Hell itself.
But anyone who threatened the people around him would pay the price.
Golden light suddenly erupted from every pore in his body.
His muscles expanded.
Bone spikes emerged from his flesh.
His chest rose as unimaginable power surged through him.
The Doomsday Template awakened completely under his fury, evolving toward something even more terrifying.
The immense energy became impossible to contain.
It strengthened every cell, every muscle, every fiber of his body.
Solar energy exploded around him.
Broken stones began floating upward.
The air trembled violently.
Heat distorted the atmosphere itself.
Adrian's body became covered with jagged spikes.
Combined with the fear energy supplied by the Yellow Lantern Ring, his appearance became more demonic than Etrigan's.
Golden and yellow energy surged upward like flames.
He took a single step.
The ground shattered.
Massive cracks spread outward.
The floor collapsed.
Bottomless fissures tore through the hall.
The entire Justice Society headquarters shook violently as debris fell into the sea of blood below.
The stone used to construct the building had been among the strongest materials Adrian had discovered on Earth, harder than diamond itself.
Even so, it shattered beneath his power.
Every step caused more destruction.
The enormous hall capable of housing hundreds collapsed around him.
Walls cracked.
Ceilings crumbled.
Blood-red waves rose below as stone crashed into the abyss.
Debris floated weightlessly around Adrian.
He bent his knees.
His golden eyes glowed.
Then he leaped.
The corridor behind him exploded.
Massive sections of stone collapsed into the fissures below.
The impact of his movement caused the entire structure to tremble violently.
Adrian became a streak of golden light.
He crossed the distance instantly.
Boom!
The deafening impact echoed throughout the hall.
His kick slammed directly into Etrigan's chest.
Bones cracked.
The demon's enormous body flew backward and crashed violently against the ground.
The Hellfire pouring from Etrigan's mouth stopped immediately.
===
If you want to read more, check out my patreon.
Patreon.com/ _Zeph