SHATTERED WORLDS | DC (2022)

Year 3: The Rich Get Richer

Resistance 

Utterly confounded by the Spectre's unexpected arrival and enigmatic motives, John Constantine found it impossible to decipher the situation. Fortuitously, his survival instincts took over, prompting him to order Zatanna to teleport the team to safety.

The Spectre's focus appeared to be on locating a single individual, and when his gaze fell upon Batman, his intentions were unmistakable. As the spectral being reached for Batman, Etrigan the Demon sprang into action, pushing his ally out of harm's way. Unfazed, the Spectre struck down Etrigan and seized Batman by his cape. In a heroic effort, Ragman intervened, cutting Batman free and enabling him to escape alongside John. However, Ragman's bravery was met with a tragic end as the Spectre eradicated him with a swift and merciless strike.

John and Batman found themselves within the House of Mystery, where the remainder of their team anxiously awaited. The atmosphere was thick with trepidation and confusion as they attempted to comprehend the Spectre's pursuit. Batwoman voiced her concerns, "This situation is spiralling out of control. Now that the Spectre is hunting us, do we even stand a chance?" The others shared their thoughts, while Zatanna approached Batman and John.

"John, can you make sense of any of this?" she asked.

"I'm at a loss, Z. The goddamn Spectre? It's absolutely baffling."

"How do we deal with him?" Batman inquired, his voice tense.

Exhaling deeply, John replied, "I'll need a few hours to come up with a plan. But none of this adds up."

With that, John retreated to his private quarters, leaving the others to ponder their next move.

For Batman, the situation had escalated from dire to seemingly insurmountable. While grappling with Superman had been a formidable challenge, the Spectre now presented a nearly impossible predicament. Nevertheless, Batman refused to surrender or yield, his determination unwavering.

But even his indomitable will couldn't negate exhaustion and frustration. As he sat back with a heavy sigh, Selina approached him, concern etched on her face. "What's wrong?" she inquired gently.

"I saw Damian. He almost killed me," Bruce responded, a genuine smile momentarily flickering across his features.

"You don't seem particularly upset about that," Selina observed astutely.

Bruce's countenance shifted, the fleeting smile vanishing as he regained his composure. "It's not that. It's just been years since I've seen him in person. He's grown so much in the past two years. His appearance caught me off, guard."

Selina was surprised to witness such a rare moment of vulnerability from Bruce, particularly in regard to Damian. She longed to inquire further about his feelings upon seeing his estranged son but sensed the timing was ill-suited. Instead, she offered him a comforting touch and a supportive presence, a steady companion as they faced the daunting challenges that lay ahead.

Spectre/Regime

Superman, Sinestro, Black Adam, Hawkgirl, Cyborg, Lex, and Shazam all gathered in the hall still reeling from the surprise attack Batman and his regime had launched. More importantly, they were trying to figure out where they were hiding at. Shazam and Black Adam scanned through dozens of old mystical books from their magical library in search of trying to find anything that could point them in the right direction. Meanwhile, Lex and Cyborg search for any signal of high energy that could locate them however it all led nowhere. 

Superman's frustration was now at the breaking point he was desperate to find Batman and finally end him, he hadn't felt this frustrated since he faced off against Aquaman all those years ago. Suddenly the ground in front of the team was covered in fog and from the fog the Spectre appeared.