Listening to the cops ramble on, Diana simply rolled her eyes and gloomily chugged a beer.
She had massively overestimated the Gotham police. If all the officers gathered were stacked together, she was fairly certain they wouldn't amount to half of a good force.
While Diana drowned her frustration in foam and hops, Doctor Fate kept staring intently at the police below without interruption.
Then, like lightning striking in his thoughts, an idea lit up in his mind — but the moment wasn't right to voice it.
After all this ridiculousness ends… he thought, I absolutely have to discuss this new theory with Diana and Zatanna.
But hold on — where was Zatanna?
Doctor Fate scanned their surroundings, and that's when he spotted her.
She had already consumed several beers and was now surrounded by a group of young policewomen, tipsily chatting about cosmetics and fashion with surprising enthusiasm.
On one hand, Doctor Fate felt dismay.
The mystical world was probably truly without a future.
On the other hand, that was a minor concern compared to the real problem — Wraith.
Today they had failed to stop him.
But what about tomorrow? The next day? Tonight?
Even if Axel, a.k.a. Wraith, truly had no intention of destroying the entire Earth, what if some day he woke up and decided he did?
Meaning genocide, mass destruction, or worse?
Could Doctor Fate just stand by and do nothing?
As his thoughts churned, Axel suddenly returned to the shattered Sky Rail. The infamous villain clinked his beer bottle against Bruce's juice and drained it.
Then he popped open another and spoke to Bruce with that irritating casual grin.
"In a moment, the Sky Rail can be officially declared collapsed. With Diana and the other two busy, even the buildings next to the tracks won't suffer too much."
He took a long sip before continuing.
"But tearing down the Sky Rail is easy. Rebuilding infrastructure like a subway? That's a nightmare. I can guarantee the demons and monsters under Gotham won't stir with me around, but I am not a construction expert. And my bad seeds aren't exactly engineers either."
He looked at Bruce with amusement.
"If you told Oswald to go make money, he'd make a fortune. But if you asked him to run a city, he might issue crime licenses to every criminal in Gotham and let them legally loot sh*t! Believe me, he would absolutely do that. So if this city is gonna get fixed, that's on you, Bruce."
"I am not your subordinate!!!"
Bruce exploded at Axel, glaring with righteous fury.
Axel just slid an arm around his shoulder like two old frat buddies.
"Buddy, nobody said you're my subordinate. We're friends. I help you get revenge on this city and satisfy your urge to protect it, and in return, you help me make sure Gotham runs well enough. And you better put more of my posters on skyscrapers, maybe some murals too. Who the hell says a villain can't represent a city? From now on, I represent Gotham!"
He slapped Bruce on the shoulder with enthusiasm, then finished his beer before shouting down to the police below.
"That's enough drinking for now! Pack it up! I'm going to demolish the Sky Rail!"
The cops immediately scrambled, packing up faster than they did when Gordon gave orders.
Gordon himself looked dismayed — as if his last spark of justice just got dumped in cold water.
He picked up a beer with a gloomy expression and waved at Diana and the other two stunned heroes.
"Whether you're gods, heroes, or mystic mages, find a way to stop that guy. I have no idea what to do with him. If I did, I'd try it even if it killed me!"
With that, Gordon turned away slowly, steps heavy with discouragement.
Diana and the others shared a look, and Zatanna let out a loud burp.
"He… why are those triplets chatting like that?"
Zatanna swayed drunkenly and collapsed into Diana's arms.
Diana just stared blankly, holding the flushed girl, and Doctor Fate nodded silently beside her.
"Later, I will reinforce space around the Sky Rail. Before the tracks completely fall onto the surrounding buildings, I will stabilize it and slowly lower it to minimize damage."
"I'll leave it to you," Diana replied, shifting Zatanna so she wouldn't slump face‑first into the ground. "If she gets more drunk, she'll cause more damage than Axel ever could. And I absolutely can't leave her alone. Knowing that shameless Axel is still around? I'd worry he'd take advantage of her!"
Diana directed a glare fierce enough to turn steel toward Axel — who was already giving her the middle finger from afar.
With a nod to Doctor Fate, Diana picked up Zatanna and flew off toward their next objective.
Doctor Fate closed his eyes helplessly as they left.
Not only Zatanna, but even Diana wasn't entirely reliable. Few Greek gods were fully dependable, he reminded himself.
If this was truly hopeless, he might have to go to the Rock of Eternity, seek out Shazam — that ancient force, that legendary champion from times past — and ask for advice that might actually work.
As his mind spun with possibilities, the police had nearly finished retreating.
Axel, without ceremony, snatched up the slowest‑moving Batman, shoved him into the Batmobile, and then kicked the Batmobile while it was still under 100 km/h — sending it rocketing forward at supersonic speed.
Once everyone was far away, Axel sauntered over to the lonely Doctor Fate.
"Old man, now it's just the two of us. Let's celebrate our flawless cooperation."
"Yes, this is probably the most humiliating operation of my life — and only you could make this impression on me. Not only do I have no solution for you, but I almost died by your hand and now have to watch you demolish the city!"
Doctor Fate's voice was bitter as he spoke.
Axel shrugged and tossed his empty beer bottle aside, then kicked out, smashing the nineteenth support pillar into rubble.
But instead of triggering a catastrophic chain collapse, the Sky Rail merely sagged a little more than before.
Axel cursed angrily.
"Damn it! Where did that fool Oswald find this expert? I shouldn't have believed his expert!"
He sprinted toward the next pillar, steaming with rage, and smashed it too.
Boom!
Still no chain reaction.
"Damn it! These damn experts deserve to die! I'm gonna drag all their families to drown in the sea!"
Boom!
Twenty‑first pillar.
Boom!
Twenty‑second pillar.
After smashing over thirty pillars, Axel hollered back to a dumbfounded Doctor Fate in the distance.
"Hey old geezer, stop standing there like an idiot, come help me!"
"What? Wait… what did you say?!!!"
Hearing Axel's words, Doctor Fate's beard almost punctured his helmet in irritation.
"You actually want me to help you destroy the city, you…?!!!"
Axel held up three fingers impatiently.
"Less talk, help if you want. If not, I'll go get a nuclear bomb! Otherwise, am I supposed to smash this thing seven or eight thousand times? So pick — nuclear bomb or slow collapse? Hurry up, old geezer, I'm losing my damn temper!"
After another loud curse, Axel waited with arms outstretched.
Doctor Fate finally exhaled and prepared himself.
"Only this once, never again!"
He extended his hand, and immediately crystalline lights formed across thousands of load‑bearing pillars around Gotham.
As the crystals shattered, the Sky Rail fell with thunder — but before it could crash fully, the crystals seized it, holding it suspended in mid‑air.
Doctor Fate carefully lowered the entire Sky Rail to the ground, guiding it so that surrounding buildings suffered minimal damage.
When he finished, he stood motionless — exhausted, dazed, as if overwhelmed by the entire ordeal.
Axel looked at him with a chuckle and leaned in close.
"Thanks old buddy, having you around is my blessing, haha!"
He grinned widely, stretching his arms in satisfaction.
The fourth step of his evolution ritual was officially complete.