Although struck down by a single punch from Adrian, the demon Etrigan was far from ordinary. He rose almost instantly, vanishing from sight with a teleport that carried him beyond Adrian's field of vision.
Ignoring the damage inflicted upon him, Etrigan opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of Hellfire, directing the blazing inferno straight at Adrian.
Adrian reacted without hesitation. Moving with equal speed, he teleported directly in front of Etrigan and thrust his right hand forward.
With a sharp impact, Adrian clamped his hand over Etrigan's mouth just as the flames were about to erupt.
A muffled groan escaped the demon.
The Hellfire ceased immediately, cut off at its source. Etrigan's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting Adrian to interfere so directly. Then, just as quickly, a grin crept across his face.
Adrian's hand began to burn.
Hellfire surged against his skin, searing through with unnatural intensity. The pain spread rapidly through his body, forcing Adrian to step back.
"You covered Hellfire with your bare hand?" Etrigan sneered. "That is just asking for pain."
Before Adrian could recover, Etrigan lunged forward. His punch tore through the air with explosive force, striking Adrian square in the chest.
The impact sent Adrian sliding backward.
Etrigan laughed. "Is that all? I expected more. If I took this seriously, you would already be finished."
His confidence swelled. Hellfire gave him a natural advantage, even against someone like Adrian. In that moment, he believed himself untouchable.
Adrian said nothing. He straightened slowly, his gaze locking onto Etrigan with growing intensity.
The yellow energy around his body surged violently, flooding inward and gathering at his chest. His expression hardened, his eyes glowing with a chilling golden hue that resembled something far more dangerous than human.
Bone spurs pushed subtly beneath his skin, emerging at weak points before dissolving again in the overwhelming energy. The power radiating from him carried a strange contradiction, something both radiant and ominous, balanced between destruction and protection.
Etrigan's grin faltered.
Adrian's body expanded with sudden force. His arms swelled, muscles tightening and growing as veins pulsed with immense power. The bone spurs that formed along his limbs burst outward and disintegrated instantly. Blood roared through him like a raging current, gathering unstoppable strength into his fists.
Golden light ignited around his hands, illuminating the darkness that had swallowed the Justice Society Hall. Even in daylight, the entire space had been consumed by shadow.
Then, in an instant, everything flashed.
A blinding surge of yellow light filled the hall.
Etrigan roared as Adrian's fist slammed into his chest again. The strike carried no sound, only overwhelming force and light that tore through the darkness.
Crimson bone cracked and inverted. Blood scattered as Etrigan's chest caved inward, revealing the massive, throbbing heart within.
Adrian did not hesitate. He drove another punch forward, directly into the demon's heart.
The force was absolute.
Energy erupted from his fist, piercing through flesh and bone. Etrigan's heart could not withstand the impact. The protective structure of his chest collapsed inward, impaling the organ before the blow shattered it completely.
Blood burst outward, suspended briefly in the air like crimson droplets against the void.
A gaping hole tore through Etrigan's chest. His heart was gone, obliterated entirely.
Adrian withdrew, releasing the immense force. The energy receded, and his body returned to its lean, controlled form. He hovered in the air, watching as Etrigan's body crashed heavily to the ground.
The aftermath of the transformation rippled through him.
The pain that had torn through his body vanished, replaced by clarity. His vision sharpened, his senses expanding beyond their normal limits. Light, heat, pressure, even the faintest movement of particles in the air became visible to him.
His body shed what remained of the transformation. Bone fragments and layers of hardened skin flaked away, revealing newly strengthened muscle beneath. It felt as though his body had undergone years of evolution in mere seconds.
The Doomsday Template had advanced.
Adrian clenched his fists, feeling the refined power coursing through him. It was no longer raw strength alone. There was something deeper now, something precise and controlled.
His gaze shifted back to Etrigan.
Even with his heart destroyed, the demon still moved.
Etrigan staggered to his feet, clutching the massive wound in his chest. A dry laugh escaped him.
"So the Boy Scout has hidden fangs after all."
Adrian descended slowly, his killing intent fading as he approached.
"What do you want, Etrigan?" he asked, voice steady. "Why attack me?"
Etrigan grinned despite his condition. "Nothing personal. Just business."
His eyes gleamed with malicious amusement. "Though I did enjoy roasting your friend."
Adrian's expression darkened. In an instant, he closed the distance, seized Etrigan by the collar, and lifted him off the ground.
"What business?" Adrian demanded. "Who sent you?"
Etrigan's breathing grew uneven, but his grin remained.
"Oh, nothing complicated," he said softly. "Just a simple request."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"I was told to find you."
Before Adrian could react, Etrigan began chanting.
"Begone, begone, Etrigan, the rising mortal form..."
His body shifted.
In a flash, the demon vanished, replaced by Batman, clad in his familiar armor.
Adrian froze for a brief moment, caught off guard.
"Bruce?"
Batman held a small pink pill between his fingers. Without hesitation, he crushed it.
A fine dust spread into the air, enveloping both of them.
"What did you do?" Adrian demanded.
"It is just dust," Batman replied quietly.
Almost immediately, dizziness overtook Adrian. His enhanced body resisted, but not enough. The substance was not ordinary, it carried a supernatural influence.
"You made a deal with a demon?" Adrian asked, his voice tightening as his mind began to blur.
"Sometimes there are no clean choices," Batman said, his tone low and resolute. "When everything begins to collapse, you adapt. This was necessary."
Adrian felt it then.
A presence pressing against his mind.
A force dragging him toward sleep.
He could almost see it, a shadowed figure approaching, its will suffocating his consciousness.
Adrian released Batman and struggled to remain upright, but his strength was fading.
"You have fallen further than I have, Bruce," he said.
His body gave in. He dropped to one knee, placing a hand over his chest as his heartbeat slowed.
Darkness crept into his mind.
"That is enough," Batman murmured.
He turned away, watching as the black clouds outside began to disperse.
"Sleep, Adrian."
After a moment of hesitation, Batman stepped closer again. He placed a hand gently on Adrian's head, confirming that he had fully succumbed.
His expression tightened with conflict.
"In your dreams," he said quietly, "become who you were meant to be."
Rising, he stepped over the ruins of the Justice Society Hall and walked toward the exit.
The wind outside had begun to rise, tugging at his cape.
"Do not return to this broken world," he said under his breath.
There was no satisfaction in his victory, only a heavy, lingering sorrow.
This was not an ending.
It was the beginning of something far worse.