American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

286. Magical Lightning.

"Finally, he's here."

Hearing Kara's words, Alex quickly used his magic sense to detect a being carrying divine power entering Gotham.

Alex had already informed Barbara and Kate about Shazam's arrival in advance. Although they didn't know how Alex managed to contact Shazam, the thought of seeing a Justice League hero again made them very excited.

With Alex's reverse teleportation magic, in the blink of an eye, everyone moved from underground to the entrance of Arkham Asylum.

"Your magic skills are getting better," Kara smiled.

"It's just beginner-level stuff. I'm still not that proficient with the energies of this world. I'm actually planning to try casting without verbal components," Alex shrugged casually.

The two exchanged a few simple words, then turned their gaze toward the distant sky. Sure enough, high above, a figure broke through the thick clouds, flying toward Gotham like a bolt of lightning.

Seeing this, Alex raised his right hand and placed his index and middle fingers against his temple. The next moment, his voice appeared directly in Shazam's mind.

"We see you, Billy. Look at your two o'clock; we're at the ruins of Arkham Asylum."

Shazam was startled by Alex's voice in his head, but he quickly regained his composure. After all, he had met plenty of wizards before. Although someone like Alex, with telepathic abilities, was rare, it wasn't unheard of.

"Got it."

Following Alex's direction, Billy turned his head and saw a few tiny figures gathered at the entrance of Arkham Asylum. In the midst of the dead silence of Gotham City, Alex and the others stood out clearly.

Having found his target, Shazam immediately changed course and dived straight toward them.

If Shazam had previously harbored any doubts about Alex, now he completely trusted him.

Billy wouldn't forget the demonic aura Alex had exuded earlier. Although it seemed a bit different from the demons of this world, that pure malevolence couldn't be faked. He was sure that Alex was an extraordinarily powerful dark wizard.

"Speak cautiously, trust sparingly"—this phrase fit Billy, who had been tormented by PTSD for two years, perfectly. Even though he was just a kid, everything he had been through made his mind more mature than some adults.

At this moment, seeing Alex standing with the Bat Family members, Billy finally felt his heart relax.

Even though his trust in Alex had outweighed his caution, until he saw Alex and the others face-to-face, Billy couldn't quell the anxiety within him. He feared the despair that often followed hope. However, as he descended into the lower atmosphere, a squad of Parademons patrolling Gotham noticed his arrival.

"Oh no... looks like it's not just you guys who've spotted me."

On his way here, Billy had maintained a high level of vigilance, carefully avoiding the Parademons' patrol zones. To avoid causing trouble for the remaining heroes, he had gone to great lengths to hide his presence and avoid alerting any Parademons.

But to his surprise, as soon as he arrived in Gotham, the Parademons inside the city had already detected him.

"You could've at least warned me there were still Parademons here! I thought you guys had already cleared them out!" Billy exclaimed.

"Sorry, sorry. It's not that we don't want to clear out the Parademons, but Barbara mentioned that if we eliminate them on a large scale, it will trigger a full-scale response from the surrounding nests. Those creatures still value Gotham highly," Alex replied from the ground, a bit helpless.

It was clear that Batman deeply loved Gotham. Even after being brainwashed by Darkseid, his instinct to protect Gotham seemed embedded in his very DNA.

Turning around, Alex looked at the group behind him. "Who's going to go assist him?"

"I'll handle it." Kara didn't hesitate. She removed her jacket and immediately took off, shooting into the air like a missile.

Black Canary, not wanting to be left behind, followed suit. She had been itching for a chance to show off her abilities, and now that she finally had the opportunity, she wasn't going to let it slip by.

Perhaps due to the fact that Pietro and Ashley had previously wiped out a squad of Parademons, this time, the group of Parademons patrolling Gotham included two Doomsday-like Parademons. The green-black Parademons let out a roar, their blood-red eyes locked onto Shazam. It was clear they had already marked him as prey, ready to tear him apart.

"Well, let's see what you've got!"

Shazam didn't dodge. Watching the incoming swarm of Parademons, he didn't even slow down, flying straight at them.

He punched the lead Doomsday Parademon square in the chest, then sensed danger behind him. Without missing a beat, he kicked backward, his magically charged, glowing golden leg sending another Doomsday Parademon flying dozens of meters away.

Although two Doomsday Parademons were no match for Shazam, the true strength of Parademons wasn't in their individual combat abilities. Their biggest advantage lay in their overwhelming numbers, like a swarm of locusts.

The Doomsday Parademon, after taking a beating from Shazam, turned and raised its massive, brutal hand, preparing to show Shazam the true strength of a Kryptonian.

The next moment, an unstoppable force surged toward Shazam.

Just as the giant hand was about to smash into him, the Doomsday Parademon vanished right before Shazam's eyes. This sudden development made Shazam pause. He had already braced himself to take the hit.

Following the afterimage of where the Parademon disappeared, Shazam saw that the creature had been pushed back hundreds of meters by someone wearing a red cape.

"Super... Superman?"

Shazam blinked in disbelief. He remembered hearing rumors that Superman was supposed to be a broken man.

But as he stood there, stunned, the surrounding Parademons didn't stop moving. The grotesque creatures swarmed him, grabbing onto his limbs and gnawing viciously at his body with their sharp teeth.

Although the regular Parademons' teeth couldn't pierce Shazam's flesh, the pain was real enough, and it was starting to overwhelm him.

Normally, Shazam wouldn't be worried about these creatures. Even if there were twice as many, he could handle them. But right now, after traveling such a long distance, he was already exhausted.

Just then, the thick clouds over Gotham began to churn violently, as a terrifying pressure gathered above.

It was as if the sky itself had torn open. A massive bolt of lightning ripped through the breach, illuminating all of Gotham. The deafening thunder that followed seemed powerful enough to tear apart the very fabric of reality.

The lightning, like a spear, shot down from the heavens. Its mere sound was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart. Before Shazam could react, the bolt of lightning struck him directly. At the same time, the Parademons clinging to his body were instantly reduced to ash.

Shazam's body suddenly shrank, and in the blink of an eye, he reverted back to Billy.

"What the—?!"

Billy instinctively reached out, trying to grab onto something, cursing inwardly. He hadn't even said the word "Shazam," so why had he been hit by lightning and reverted back to his normal form?!

But his shock didn't last long. Before gravity could pull him down to the ground, the next moment, he found himself caught in a strong embrace.

"When Ollie told me about it before, I didn't believe him. But now I see it's true—Shazam is really just a kid."

.....

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