"You will soon learn what kind of Amazon woman you are truly facing!"
Diana roared as she launched herself at Mera.
If Wonder Woman had to rank the women she disliked the most, Mera would undoubtedly stand at the top of the list. The red-haired Atlantean had always looked at her with an unsettling gaze, and her words often carried hidden barbs. More importantly, she had grown far too close to Adrian, sometimes crossing boundaries Diana had never been willing to acknowledge aloud.
Now, seeing Mera step forward to oppose her, all the resentment she had buried inside erupted.
"Is that so?" Mera replied coldly. "I look forward to it. I only hope that the Amazon princess does not disappoint me."
Her eyes turned silver-white as pale light radiated from them.
She was preparing to use her powers.
Mera was not known for patience, nor was she interested in reasoning with an angry opponent.
Wonder Woman refused to grant her the initiative. She surged forward and appeared directly before her.
At the same moment, Mera released her abilities.
The temperature inside the room dropped sharply, plunging below freezing within seconds. Mera possessed complete mastery over water and could manipulate the moisture and temperature in the air itself. Having learned techniques from the Ice Sisters, she could command frost and ice even far from the ocean.
As Diana approached, water burst from the nearby pipes and rushed toward her.
Wonder Woman raised her arms to block the torrent, but the flowing water instantly solidified.
A spear of ice formed in an instant.
The frozen weapon gleamed with deadly brilliance, its sharp tip carrying a murderous chill as it shot toward Wonder Woman.
The spear sliced through the air with a shrill whistle.
Diana's enhanced senses detected the danger immediately. Her body reacted before conscious thought could intervene.
She bent backward with astonishing flexibility, her knees lowering as her back nearly touched the floor while she remained standing. The ice spear passed inches above her body.
A thunderous impact followed.
The spear embedded itself deeply into the wall.
Diana slapped both hands against the floor and sprang upright.
Mera moved even faster. Silver light continued to glow from her eyes as she unleashed another attack.
Water flooded across the floor in powerful waves.
Diana responded instantly, throwing the Lasso of Truth.
Mera avoided the attack with Selina's assistance, but the golden lasso wrapped around a nearby metal cabinet instead.
With a violent tug, Wonder Woman pulled.
The cabinet flew through the air.
It crashed directly into Mera and Selina, sending both women backward.
Mera managed to summon a stream of water to absorb much of the impact, preventing serious injuries.
After avoiding the spreading water, Diana stepped across the soaked floor without expression and advanced toward them.
Mera ignored the pain in her body. Rolling onto her feet, she thrust both hands forward.
The water covering the ground instantly froze.
Ice spread outward like flowing lava, racing toward Wonder Woman's feet.
If Diana became trapped, Mera was certain she could win.
Wonder Woman merely snorted.
She activated her tremendous jumping ability and instantly escaped the freezing wave.
Her feet struck the ground with explosive force, shattering the floor beneath her.
Then she drove a straight punch toward Mera.
A wall of water formed in front of the Atlantean.
It shattered immediately.
Mera grunted in pain as the impact sent her flying backward.
Seeing Mera injured, Selina gritted her teeth and rushed forward.
Her punch tore through the air with tremendous force.
Diana sidestepped smoothly.
After avoiding the strike, her fist transformed midway into a soft palm strike that pressed against Selina's chest and abdomen.
She deliberately held back.
The blow hurt, but it was not enough to incapacitate her.
Selina endured the pain, seized Diana's arm, and twisted violently.
The elbow failed to break.
Instead, Wonder Woman used the momentum to leap upward, spinning free from Selina's grip before delivering a roundhouse kick.
Selina was sent flying.
The two separated.
Selina clutched her stomach and struggled for breath, clearly at a disadvantage.
Wonder Woman gave her no opportunity to recover.
She closed the distance and struck toward Selina's waist.
Selina retreated.
Diana had anticipated it.
Her body twisted, and a spinning kick crashed into Selina's chest.
Although Selina raised her arm to block, the force hurled her backward.
She slammed into the icy floor.
Fragments of ice scattered in every direction.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Despite the pain coursing through her body, Selina forced herself to remain conscious and threw her grappling hook.
No matter how powerful her opponent was, she refused to surrender.
The hook screamed through the air.
Wonder Woman caught the rope effortlessly.
With a violent pull, Selina lost control of her balance and was dragged forward.
Diana seized her collar and threw her.
Selina crashed through the doorway and struck the floor outside.
The accumulated injuries finally overwhelmed her.
She lost consciousness.
Wonder Woman advanced toward her fallen opponent.
Suddenly, Mera appeared.
A stream of water surged overhead as she descended from above. The liquid shaped itself into a massive blade that swept toward Wonder Woman.
Diana reacted immediately.
She caught Mera's arm and threw her aside.
Mera crashed against the ground.
Pain exploded through her back, yet she forced herself to stand.
Wonder Woman attacked again.
Mera raised an elbow to block Diana's fist while her free hand struck toward Diana's throat.
Diana blocked.
Their fingers locked together.
The two women struggled against one another.
It quickly became apparent that Mera could not compete with Diana's raw strength.
Wonder Woman slowly forced her downward.
"So this is your strength?" Diana mocked. "Your words are far more aggressive than your power."
Mera's eyes blazed.
Drawing upon every remaining ounce of strength, she grabbed Diana's arm and leaped into the air.
Even carrying another person, she soared several meters upward.
Wonder Woman was thrown violently to the ground.
The floor shattered.
Mera stood breathing heavily.
Blood stained the corner of her mouth as she wiped it away.
"This is my strength," she said coldly. "Have you seen it now, Amazon? A woman whose head is filled with nothing but anger."
Diana offered no reply.
Instead, she drew the Vulcan Sword.
The divine blade had been forged for her by Vulcan himself. Made from materials of the gods, it possessed incredible durability and the ability to absorb kinetic and energy forces.
"You have completely enraged me."
The sword swept toward Mera.
Diana's speed increased dramatically.
Mera tore a metal door panel from its hinges and raised it to defend herself.
The blade sliced through it.
Although the strike was diverted, Diana immediately changed tactics.
As they crossed paths, she turned her body and drove her shoulder into Mera's chest.
Metal shattered.
Mera was launched backward.
She crashed through the door.
The impact split the metal apart before she slammed into a supporting wall.
The pillar groaned under the pressure.
Cracks spread.
Then it collapsed.
Glass shattered.
Light fixtures crashed to the floor.
The entire wall caved inward, spiderweb cracks spreading across the surface as dust filled the air.
The explosion echoed throughout the Justice Society Hall.
It sounded as though a bomb had detonated.
Diana did not stop.
Holding the Vulcan Sword, she pushed off the ground and leaped from the room.
Nearby, the Wonder Twins and Jenna stood frozen.
They had never witnessed Wonder Woman in such a state.
Jenna swallowed nervously.
"I've never seen her this angry. This is bad."
Zan shook his head helplessly.
"We can't stop her."
"She'll kill them," Jenna said anxiously. "We have to do something."
"No."
A deep voice answered from behind them.
Ares, the God of War, stepped forward.
"You are powerless."
Elsewhere, Wonder Woman approached Mera.
The Atlantean lay against the rubble, clutching her chest as blood seeped from her lips.
Diana's voice became cold.
"When I was young, I never knew how to sleep."
She slowly walked toward Mera.
"I would pretend to be asleep so my parents would not worry. After they rested, I would climb onto the roof and watch the stars."
She stopped before her opponent.
"I wanted them safe. I understood very early that this world was filled with evil, suffering, and cruelty. I would never allow those things to hurt them."
Her eyes carried an icy intensity.
"As I grew older, I eventually learned how to sleep, but I rarely allowed myself that comfort because evil still existed."
She grabbed Mera by the front of her suit and lifted her.
"For Adrian, people whose loyalties are uncertain are the very definition of evil. Gotham vigilantes and surface dwellers cannot be trusted."
She slammed Mera into the ground.
"It was only after I fell in love that I truly slept through the night. Love brought dreams. Sometimes they are nightmares, and sometimes they are beautiful lies that you never want to leave."
She raised her fist.
Hatred burned within it.
If the blow landed, Mera would suffer greatly.
Then a hand caught her wrist.
The entire room fell silent.
"Enough, Diana."
The familiar voice stunned her.
She turned.
Standing behind her was Adrian.
His right hand firmly gripped her wrist.
"Stop."
"Adrian... you're awake?"
Diana's voice trembled.
She had never expected him to recover without her help.
The emotions inside her made it difficult to speak.
"Yes, I'm awake," Adrian said quietly. "And I am not going back to sleep."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"What you're doing is irrational. Mera and Selina are on our side. They are with me. You cannot treat them as enemies."
"Is that so?"
Diana's expression hardened.
"Since you fell into your coma, everyone has told me the same thing. The more time passes, the more confused I become."
She lowered her gaze.
"I only want to protect you. There are evil things surrounding you, and I cannot always recognize them. These two women are among the people I trust the least."
Everything she had done, every act of violence, had been motivated by fear.
Fear of losing Adrian.
She slowly withdrew her arm from his grasp.
"I do everything to keep evil away from you. If you believe I am wrong, then I have nothing else to say."
Adrian remained silent.
He walked past her.
Reaching Mera, he carefully helped her stand and examined her injuries to ensure she was not seriously harmed.
Afterward, he moved toward Selina.
She had regained consciousness.
Her left arm was fractured.
Adrian carefully set the bone while Selina gripped his arm tightly, breathing heavily through the pain.
After finishing, he gave her a reassuring look.
Only then did he turn back toward Wonder Woman.
His expression had become completely serious.
"I think we need to talk."