Adrian arrived in the sky a moment too late.
Under the stunned gaze of Lois and Jimmy, he unleashed heat vision from his eyes, sweeping across the air and cutting through the Parademons charging toward him.
The creatures, fast and dangerous in numbers, stood no chance against the sheer force behind his attack.
The first Parademon in front was split clean in half.
Those behind it were struck almost instantly, the crimson beams tearing through them with ruthless precision. Screams echoed as bodies dropped from the sky, one after another.
The air filled with the stench of blood.
Adrian cut off his heat vision and surged forward, closing the distance in an instant. He struck the nearest Parademon with a single punch.
The impact crushed it completely, its body bursting apart midair.
He did not slow down.
Switching between raw strength and heat vision, Adrian dismantled the swarm piece by piece. Every strike carried overwhelming force, every beam erased another cluster of enemies.
Below, Lois watched it all unfold, her fear easing as control returned to the battlefield.
Adrian was here.
That alone changed everything.
She had her doubts about his personality, but never about his strength. In her mind, only Clark might stand a chance against him.
Catching her breath, she got up and rushed toward Jimmy.
"Jimmy, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Jimmy said, still shaken, glancing up at the sky. "Adrian showed up just in time."
He swallowed hard. "What are those things?"
Lois wiped at the blood on her face, smearing dirt across her skin. "Not from Earth. That's all I know."
She exhaled and glanced around. "Did you call the police?"
"I tried."
Jimmy pulled out his phone, the screen completely shattered.
"It got wrecked while I was running."
Lois let out a frustrated breath. "Great. First the camera, now your phone. We're really doing well today."
Her own equipment was gone too. No footage, no photos, nothing to show for any of this.
All she could do now was watch.
"I just hope Adrian can finish this without something going wrong," she muttered.
Above them, Adrian had already shifted his focus.
He knew exactly what these creatures were.
Parademons.
And that meant one thing.
His eyes moved to the massive portal hanging in the sky.
The Boom Tube.
A flicker of confusion crossed his expression.
This was too early.
Far too early for something like this.
Darkseid should not be moving yet.
He shot forward, heat vision flaring again as he cleared a path toward the portal. His thoughts raced, but his movements never slowed.
A Parademon rushed him from behind, striking his back with full force.
It might as well have hit steel.
The creature's own body snapped from the impact, its shoulder breaking as it was flung away.
Before it could recover, Adrian turned and incinerated it midair.
The explosion scattered flesh and blood into the air.
More Parademons poured out of the Boom Tube.
This time, many of them wore armor, their bodies reinforced for combat.
Their numbers showed no sign of thinning.
Realizing brute force alone would take time, they changed tactics.
A thick green smoke spread rapidly through the air.
Toxic.
Designed to blind and weaken.
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
They were adapting.
He inhaled deeply.
The smoke vanished into his lungs in a single breath, leaving the air clear again.
"That's not going to work," he said coldly.
Explosions followed.
One after another, Parademons were obliterated in the sky, their bodies bursting apart under his heat vision.
He had lost interest in holding back.
Elsewhere, inside the LexCorp building, Lex Luthor was running for his life.
His bodyguards fired at the creatures breaking through the glass, managing to take down a few, but it was not enough.
They were overwhelmed quickly.
Only his experimental bioweapon remained, buying him time as he retreated deeper into the building.
He aimed for the underground laboratory, the most secure location he had.
His breathing was uneven, his chest tight as he pushed himself forward. Even in the middle of his escape, his eyes flicked upward toward Adrian in the sky.
The man who ruled through fear was now the one protecting everything.
It did not sit right with him.
Grabbing a fire mask from a safety cabinet, Lex strapped it on without hesitation. He had no idea what the green smoke could do, and he was not taking risks.
Even then, doubt lingered.
There was no guarantee it would protect him.
Glass shattered nearby.
A Parademon burst through, slamming into his bioweapon and sending it crashing into a marble pillar. The structure cracked from the impact before the body dropped to the ground, motionless.
Lex froze for a few seconds.
Then another Parademon hit him.
He was thrown across the floor, pain tearing through his body as he slid across the stone.
He twisted at the last moment, avoiding a fatal strike, but its claw still pierced into his shoulder.
Gritting his teeth, Lex tore part of his suit and wrapped the wound tightly.
The creature hesitated, distracted by the chaos outside.
Lex saw his chance.
He moved.
Keeping low, he slipped behind cover, moving between pillars, trying to stay out of sight.
He made it several meters before the sound of his movement gave him away.
The Parademon was in front of him in an instant.
Its claw drove toward his chest.
Pain surged through him as it pierced into muscle.
Just a little deeper and it would reach his heart.
Then it stopped.
The creature froze mid-motion.
Its eyes filled with something close to fear.
A second later, its head exploded.
Blood splattered across Lex's mask.
He stood there, stunned, heart pounding.
Footsteps approached.
Adrian landed nearby and walked toward him, his gaze steady.
He glanced at the corpse on the ground, then back at Lex.
"You're hiding something," Adrian said, his tone low. "Something you don't want me to know."
Far from Metropolis, alarms were already spreading across the world.
In multiple major cities, the same invasion was unfolding.
Parademons filled the skies.
The Justice Society gathered quickly.
Wonder Woman stood at the center, addressing the team as images of destruction flashed across the screen behind her.
"Magic City, Moscow, London, Mumbai, New York, Metropolis, Gotham, Istanbul," she said. "All under attack."
Her voice hardened.
"This is a global invasion."
Bart leaned forward. "Why those cities?"
Wonder Woman paused briefly. "Because they have the highest populations. This is about maximum casualties."
Shazam stepped forward. "So what's the plan?"
"We fight," she said without hesitation. "We eliminate every one of them."
Green Lantern frowned. "Where's Kyle?"
"He's already engaged."
A beat of silence passed.
Then Flash spoke up. "We don't have time to stand here talking. People are dying."
Wonder Woman nodded and moved immediately.
The rest followed.
There was no time left for debate.
In Blue Valley, the chaos had not gone unnoticed.
Mike stared at the television, frozen.
Cities burning.
Buildings collapsing.
The sky blackened by swarms of creatures.
Screams echoed through the broadcast.
The remote slipped from his hand.
He ran upstairs.
Courtney was still in her room with Jenna, unaware of what was happening outside.
"Are you really leaving Metropolis?" Courtney asked.
Jenna hesitated. "I don't know if what Adrian is doing is right."
There was conflict in her voice.
"He's always looked out for me. I trust him. But… something about this doesn't feel right."
Before she could say more, Mike burst in.