Adrian did not press his advantage immediately.
Kalibak staggered back up from the shattered ruins, breathing heavily as he locked eyes with Adrian.
"Who are you exactly?" Kalibak asked, his voice filled with disbelief and irritation.
"You came from Apokolips and you do not even know my name?"
A dangerous glint flickered in Adrian's eyes as he looked at his disheveled opponent.
"Homelander. Remember that name."
The moment the words left his mouth, Adrian activated his super speed.
In an instant, he appeared directly in front of Kalibak.
His fist broke the sound barrier, producing a violent sonic boom as it slammed into Kalibak's chest with a heavy impact.
Even though Kalibak had raised his guard, the speed was still beyond his expectations.
Shock flashed across his face.
He could not understand why Adrian kept getting faster.
What Kalibak did not realize was that Adrian's Doomsday template had only reached twenty five percent completion, meaning this level of raw evolution should not have been possible yet.
However, another force was influencing him.
The sky had darkened, and the so called blessing of the Trinity Goddess Hecate had begun to manifest.
Adrian's strength and speed had risen significantly compared to daytime conditions.
Boom.
The punch landed cleanly.
Kalibak's body was launched backward like a meteor, smashing through a nearby building.
A deafening explosion followed as he crashed through multiple floors, glass and debris raining down like shards of rain.
Dust filled the air and quickly spread through the street.
Adrian bent his knees slightly, then launched himself upward like a rocket.
The air screamed under the pressure of his acceleration.
He was heading toward Kalibak's impact site when a swarm of Parademons rushed to intercept him.
Without hesitation, Adrian's Heat Vision erupted from his eyes.
The moment the red beams touched them, the Parademons disintegrated into ash midair.
No restraint remained in his expression.
Only killing intent.
He tore through the swarm, grabbing one of the creatures by the head mid flight, then accelerated again.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Together, Adrian and the Parademon smashed through multiple buildings in a straight destructive path.
Explosions erupted behind them, flames and smoke trailing through the air.
Another structure collapsed under the impact as they passed through it.
Inside, terrified civilians screamed and fled as the entire building shook violently.
Finally, Adrian stopped midair.
His cape whipped sharply in the wind.
In his hand remained only the Parademon's head.
The rest of its body had been completely destroyed during the violent collision.
He glanced at it briefly, expression cold and unreadable.
Then he released it.
The head dropped away into the wreckage below.
A moment later, Adrian reappeared outside the damaged skyscraper where Kalibak had crashed.
He hovered beside the shattered glass wall, looking down at his opponent buried in rubble.
Kalibak had not fully risen yet, not because he was too injured, but because he was stunned.
Even among the brutal warriors of Apokolips, this level of ferocity was rare.
He had fought countless enemies on Apokolips, but none had killed Parademons with such effortless brutality.
He recalled what Darkseid had once told him.
Earth contained Kryptonians.
Entire armies had been wiped out by them in the past, including General Zod's forces.
Kalibak had never taken those warnings seriously.
Now, he was no longer sure.
This opponent was beyond anything he had faced except his father.
Fear flickered in his chest, but it was quickly replaced by excitement.
He was a warrior.
A worthy opponent meant a chance to prove himself.
Slowly, Kalibak pushed himself up from the debris.
---
Elsewhere on the battlefield, members of the Justice Society had arrived.
Justice Society of America heroes, including Wonder Woman, Shazam, Green Lantern, and The Flash, surveyed the destruction with shock before engaging the Parademon swarm.
Near them, Courtney arrived with her group.
Jenna, Doctor Mid-Nite, Wildcat, and Hourman stood alongside her, all reacting to the chaos in real time.
Courtney exhaled sharply.
"It looks like the situation just got worse. These things are not easy targets."
Wildcat cracked his neck. "Yeah, and we do not fly. That is a problem when everything up there wants to kill us."
"Technically, it is landlocked," Doctor Mid-Nite corrected.
Wildcat waved her off. "Same thing."
Doctor Mid-Nite adjusted her stance, observing the battlefield. "We are not trained for aerial combat like them. That is the difference."
She gestured toward Wonder Woman and the others already engaging in high speed combat.
Courtney smiled slightly. "A hero is not defined by power, but by what they choose to do with it."
Before anyone could respond, a Parademon lunged toward Doctor Mid-Nite.
"Oh no, no, no," she muttered, stumbling backward.
Hourman rushed forward immediately, leaping off a nearby vehicle to intercept it.
He collided with the creature, but both crashed to the ground.
The Parademon raised its claws.
Hourman swung first.
Before the strike landed, Wildcat grabbed the creature by the neck, flipping it over with brute force and slamming it into the ground.
Hourman quickly followed up, lifting a nearby car and smashing it down onto the stunned Parademon.
Boom.
Dust erupted.
Wildcat gave a short nod. "Not bad."
Hourman grinned. "Good teamwork."
Courtney, however, was already in trouble.
A Parademon locked onto her and charged.
She dodged quickly, relying on agility rather than power, but she was eventually cornered behind a collapsed structure.
The creature shattered the cover with ease, sending her flying backward.
Before she hit the ground, a golden light streaked through the sky.
The Cosmic Staff returned.
The weapon flew directly into her hands.
Courtney gasped as power surged through her body.
"It came back…"
On the other side of the battlefield, Rachel saw it too.
Her expression darkened immediately.
"That belongs to me," Rachel said sharply.
Courtney turned toward her, gripping the staff tighter. "It chose me. It is my father's legacy."
Rachel's aura shifted, dark energy beginning to spread around her.
"It was given to me by my brother," she said coldly. "Do not claim what is mine."
Tension rose between them.
But before anything could escalate, the staff suddenly broke free from Courtney's grip.
It shot upward like a bolt of light.
In seconds, it disappeared into Adrian's hand high above the battlefield.
---
Adrian caught it mid flight without slowing down.
In the next instant, he reappeared in front of Kalibak.
Kalibak raised his arm to attack, but the staff released a burst of energy directly into his vision.
He staggered.
That single moment was enough.
Adrian's fist struck again.
Kalibak was sent crashing through another building.
The shockwave tore through the structure as he was launched across the city.
Adrian followed instantly.
A second punch hit midair.
Boom.
Kalibak's body shot upward like a missile.
He collided with a passing aircraft.
The explosion tore through the tail section.
Smoke poured into the sky as the plane began to descend uncontrollably.
Adrian ignored it completely.
His focus remained on Kalibak.
---
Far below, Clark Kent arrived at the falling aircraft.
Superman caught the plane with both hands, straining under its weight as he stabilized its descent.
He looked upward.
He saw Adrian still fighting.
He remembered a conversation they once had.
What would Adrian do if a plane was falling?
His answer had been simple.
Nothing.
Clark tightened his grip.
"That is not me," he said quietly. "I will not do nothing."
With renewed effort, he stabilized the aircraft midair.
Above him, Adrian continued the fight without hesitation.
Heat Vision erupted again as Kalibak tried to recover.
The Star Staff struck alongside it.
Kalibak was overwhelmed, forced into defense.
Adrian moved in close, tearing away armor and landing a brutal kick to his midsection.
Kalibak roared in rage and swung back wildly.
Adrian dodged, countering with the staff, then followed with another strike.
The exchange became increasingly violent.
Neither backed down.
Kalibak finally snapped.
He abandoned defense completely and launched a full frontal assault, trading blows even while injured.
The air exploded with each impact.
Then Adrian saw his opening.
He grabbed Kalibak's arm, twisted, and threw him downward with overwhelming force.
Kalibak's body crashed into the ground like a falling star.
Adrian descended immediately after.
One final punch sent Kalibak deeper into the destruction below, sparks and debris erupting from the impact as the war across Metropolis escalated even further.