Godhood Unlocked: I Chose Sci-Magic Dual Cultivation

She threw back her head and wailed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Seizing the opportunity, Zatanna immediately flew forward and clamped the Eternal Metal handcuffs onto her wrists.

Enchantress instantly felt all the power in her body being sealed away. She glared at Zatanna resentfully.

"You think this thing can control me? I'm a god!"

Another bolt of thunder rang out from the sky. A red figure descended—Shazam, draped in a white cape.

It was the first time Zatanna had seen him dressed like this.

"You've already failed, June Moone. Or rather..."

He leaned close to Enchantress's ear. "Enchantress."

The words contained magic. Enchantress shuddered, and her entire demeanor suddenly changed.

In the blink of an eye, she had reverted to the archaeologist June Moone.

Ice Cream Cone

"What? What happened?"

June Moone looked around in utter confusion.

"I-I wasn't in an ancient ruin..."

"Miss June Moone, there are many things in ruins—especially ancient ruins—that shouldn't be touched carelessly."

"May I ask who you are...?"

June Moone looked at the tall, powerfully built Dane before her and shrank back a little.

"I'm Shazam, a member of the Justice League."

"This is Zatanna. Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Don't rush. Think carefully. Your memories and hers should be shared."

Dane's words seemed to carry a calming power. Without realizing it, June followed his instructions and quieted herself. Then she quickly covered her face in horror.

"Oh my God, I-I killed those people!"

"Calm down, June Moone."

Dane had no choice but to use more magical power to soothe her mind.

"The one who committed those crimes was Enchantress, not you. You are completely different people."

"But she's inside my body. I can feel her."

June's mind was already on the verge of losing control, because she could not only see Enchantress's memories of killing people.

She could even see things from much further back.

In the barbaric age, brutality was an essential trait for survival.

The people Enchantress had sacrificed in blood rituals numbered like mountains of corpses and seas of blood. That was the result she had deliberately sought.

How could a mortal possibly bear the memories of a god, especially those of an evil god?

"Her mind is under attack from Enchantress."

Zatanna had noticed something was wrong as well.

"Zatanna, help me stabilize her mind. I'll find a way to make Enchantress behave."

Dane made a suggestion, but Zatanna shook her head.

"Your magic is too powerful. June Moone won't be able to bear it."

"You should stabilize her mind. I'll seal Enchantress."

"Are you sure? This is extremely dangerous." Dane hesitated.

"If it were her previous self, I naturally wouldn't be a match for her."

"But in a battle on the mental plane, we're standing at the same starting line."

Zatanna's thinking was clear. In June Moone's mental world, both she and Enchantress were fighting away from home.

Their conditions were actually the same. It depended only on whose mind was tougher.

Earlier, Zatanna had admitted that she was inferior in skill. One could not expect a novice magician to defeat an ancient evil god head-on.

But on the mental plane, Zatanna refused to concede. She wanted to prove herself.

And her decision was correct. Dane's divine power was too great a burden for June.

She and Enchantress were trapped together now. While the divine power burned Enchantress, it would harm June as well.

Dane smiled. "Sure enough, you were born to be a hero. I really did invite the right person when I asked you to join the Justice League."

"Hmph, I'm just repaying your favor. Enough talking. I'm starting."

At that, Dane increased his power. Under the influence of magic, June gradually fell asleep.

"Go. You have plenty of time to defeat her. Remember, the power of magic comes from within."

That was also the advice Wizard Shazam had once given him. Dane now used it to remind Zatanna.

Zatanna nodded and softly uttered a syllable.

Her eyes immediately dulled as though their light had vanished, and her body went limp.

Dane reacted quickly, catching her collapsing body and placing her over his other shoulder. He rather enjoyed the feeling of holding two women at once.

He did not remain idle either. While helping June stabilize her mind, he sent his divine power into Zatanna's body in a gentler manner.

It would not help much on the mental plane, but a healthy physical state could nourish the soul as well, making her mental strength more stable.

By then, Zatanna had already entered deep into June's mental world and found Enchantress.

She stood there openly, making no attempt to hide.

"You dare face a god alone?"

"I've met a God, and he's outside right now."

Enchantress transformed into a mass of black mist and lunged at her. Zatanna flew up and evaded it.

In this world, she could fly without using magic.

"You won't be able to deal with me as easily as you did outside."

Zatanna lightly tapped her wand. Blazing flames appeared from thin air, transforming into a giant dragon that charged straight at Enchantress.

The black aura around Enchantress shifted, forming an enormous black serpent that tangled with the dragon.

But the flames burned fiercely, scorching away a portion of the black aura.

The black serpent opened its jaws and spewed a cloud of green poison gas. The flames on the fire dragon vanished upon contact, leaving it ragged and broken.

Zatanna waved her wand, continuously repairing the flames, but the dragon still rapidly shrank at a visible rate.

This was not a gap in magical power. On the battlefield of the mind, the power of will was far greater than magic.

If any Green Lantern had been here, Enchantress would have been finished long ago.

Zatanna struggled to hold on, but the black serpent's assault still destroyed her dragon. The serpent opened its jaws and roared.

"How can a mere mortal defy a god? Your will is too weak!"

With that, the giant serpent swooped down, its massive head crashing toward her with terrifying force.

Yet at that moment, a trace of calm surfaced in Zatanna's heart.

"Remember, the power of magic comes from within."

She opened her eyes and raised her wand high over her head.

A bolt of thunder suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the pure white sky. It moved faster than light itself and struck the giant serpent with tremendous energy.

Under the thunderbolt's attack, the black serpent retreated again and again. Before long, Enchantress within it was exposed.

"Impossible! That's divine power!"

"No. That is your fear!"

Zatanna spun her wand like a magician. A ring of light suddenly appeared and bound Enchantress.

At her command, the ring transformed into a metal tether glowing with an eerie blue light—the Eternal Metal Lock.

"From now on, you may not use June Moone's body or look through her memories without her permission."

"Otherwise, the thunder in the sky will be watching you."

Enchantress's expression changed. She hurriedly looked up, just in time for another bolt of lightning to descend directly onto her head.

She screamed and transformed into black mist, scattering in all directions as she fled.

She hated Dane's lightning to the extreme, but she feared it just as deeply.

No one needed to maintain it. Her fear of Dane would take root deep in her mind and form a prison.

That was even more effective than real magic.

Zatanna smiled brightly, and her body transformed into a beam of light that vanished from the spot.

In the real world, Zatanna awoke from her sleep.

She found herself lying in Dane's arms, but pretended to still be unconscious.

Dane had already noticed that she was awake, but he did not expose her.

With a thought, he took June and Zatanna back to the Rock of Eternity.

The Rock of Eternity had rooms and bedrooms. Even if it had not before, it certainly would after he took control of the place.

He first placed June in a room. She truly was still unconscious.

After settling her, he carried Zatanna away.

He took Zatanna to the bedroom where he usually rested. His exceptional hearing had already picked up the sound of her heart pounding.

He found it a little amusing. If you can, then keep pretending to the end.

He placed Zatanna on the bed, and her heartbeat grew louder and more frantic.

But for some reason, Zatanna continued pretending to sleep.

Dane withdrew his arm. He did not make any of the improper moves she had imagined, merely whispering softly into her ear.

"You did well this time. Get some rest."

With that, he vanished from the spot.

Zatanna sighed in relief, yet also felt a little disappointed.

Dane first returned to the South American forest, assessed the losses, and then called Umbrella's logistics department to handle the aftermath.

Afterward, he returned to the city where the circus had been and entered the nearby ice cream shop with the best reviews.

When he came out, he was carrying all sorts of ice creams and cones in different flavors.

He teleported again and returned to the Justice League headquarters.

He entered the training area and saw that Diana had finished training and was resting.

Diana quickly noticed him. When she saw the various ice creams and cones in Dane's arms, her brows curved with a smile.

"Finished with it?"

Dane nodded. "Finished."

Without standing on ceremony, Diana took a cone from his hand. After a bite, she could not help narrowing her eyes blissfully.

Seeing that expression on her face, Dane felt that what he had done had meaning after all.

He took a cone too, and like two children, he and Diana ate together.

Amanda Waller