Chapter Summaries

Dane investigated the disappearance of Ismael’s corpse and the Shabak Crown, discovering traces of Hell’s magic and suspecting a connection between the Parasites and demons. The Parasites planned to obtain Shabak’s power by making Teth-Adam kill the resurrected Ismael, and they turned their attention to the Justice Society’s recruitment.

• Dane arrived in Kandahar after the City Spirit told him that Ismael’s corpse and the Shabak Crown had vanished.
• Dane examined the empty cave and learned that the crown had been kept intact because it bound the magic of Hell’s Demon Lords.
• Dane cast a Retrospection Spell and detected Hell’s magic, leading him to suspect that the Parasites had joined forces with demons.
• The Parasites used Ismael’s body and obtained the Shabak Crown, but they still needed Teth-Adam to kill Ismael before they could claim Shabak’s power.
• The Parasites learned that Doctor Fate and Hawkman had returned and that the Justice Society was recruiting new members.

Amanda sought to bring Teth-Adam under A.R.G.U.S.'s control, but Kent warned that the former protector was a butcher and might be tied to a future disaster. Kent and Hawkman recruited Cyclone and Atom Smasher, then traveled to Kandahar, where Teth-Adam was freed and refused to submit.

• Amanda proposed recruiting Teth-Adam, but Kent warned that he had slaughtered millions and was too dangerous to trust.
• Kent reconsidered after suspecting Teth-Adam might be involved in the future disaster, then asked Hawkman to help secure him.
• Hawkman recruited Cyclone and Atom Smasher despite Kent's objections, and the group flew to Kandahar.
• Hawkman and Doctor Fate entered the cave and summoned Teth-Adam from his seal.
• Teth-Adam attacked with lightning, then dismissed Doctor Fate's ultimatum with, "Fuck you."

Black Adam fought the Justice Society until Ismael intervened and provoked him into killing him, beginning the Shabak ritual. Dane froze time, took the Shabak Crown, and watched the Parasites’ soul enter The End Rock to complete the ritual in Ismael’s place.

• Black Adam broke free of Doctor Fate’s magic and fought Hawkman, Cyclone, and Albert, while Doctor Fate tried to force him to say the word that would imprison him.
• Ismael struck the group with an Eternal Metal missile, freeing Adam from Doctor Fate’s mental control, then revealed his descent from King Acton and challenged Adam.
• Adam killed Ismael, then attacked Doctor Fate and Hawkman as Cyclone circled overhead and Albert lay unconscious.
• Ismael’s corpse caught fire, and the Parasites’ soul entered The End Rock as Dane activated the Dreamstone and stopped time.
• Dane removed the Shabak Crown and realized the Parasites would continue the ritual in place of the dead Ismael.

Dane arranged for Ismael's corpse to revive as Shabak, hoping the new Demon Lord would draw the Justice League into a decisive confrontation. He then seized the Helmet of Nabu and stripped Teth-Adam of Shazam's power, leaving Adam powerless.

• Dane altered Ismael's soul and returned it to his corpse, then withdrew from the dream world as Adam tore off Doctor Fate's helmet and Cyclone chased it.
• Ismael's body revived as Shabak, who defeated Adam and flew toward the United States to begin conquering the world.
• Dane explained to the Spirit of Kandahar that he wanted the Parasites to gather before he wiped them out, then caught the Helmet of Nabu.
• Dane brought Cyclone and the Spirit of Kandahar to the battlefield, where he revealed himself to Adam and used the wizard's staff to revoke Adam's power.
• Dane told Adam that Shazam's power had belonged to Adam's son Hrruut, its rightful inheritor.

After Dane acquired Black Adam’s divine power and sent the Justice Society away from Kandahar, Shabak attacked Midway City and opened a gate to Hell. Amanda dispatched the new Suicide Squad, while the Justice Society turned back to fight the invasion as local authorities called for military support.

• Dane returned the Helmet of Nabu after Kent Nelson revealed his visions, and Doctor Fate recognized the Spirit of Kandahar as the city and country itself before taking the others away.
• Dane merged Black Adam’s divine power with his own six-god power and manifested the Book of the Dead.
• Shabak arrived in Midway City, opened a gate to Hell, and unleashed demons and undead creatures that devastated the city.
• Constantine recognized the demonic symbol on Shabak but went to Midway City only to observe after his boss told him not to intervene.
• Amanda sent Harcourt and the newly named Suicide Squad, including Deadshot, Bloodsport, Killer Croc, and Captain Boomerang, to support the city.
• The Justice Society turned their fighter jet toward Midway City, and local authorities requested military assistance.

As Shabak spread demons across the United States, the Suicide Squad and Justice Society fought to defend Midway City while the Justice League held back to target the masterminds. Amanda Waller went to Gotham to seek the Justice League’s help, but Bruce Wayne brushed off her request to see Shazam.

• Midway City's mayor armed himself and led the city's forces in a desperate fight against the demons.
• Albert, Hawkman, Cyclone, Doctor Fate, and the Suicide Squad arrived in Midway City, but Doctor Fate said Shabak had already fled.
• Harcourt told Amanda Waller that demons had appeared in several cities and that military officials were not answering her calls.
• Dane told Zatanna that the Justice League would pursue the masterminds while she could help the Birds of Prey fight the demons.
• Amanda traveled to Wayne Manor and asked Bruce Wayne to help, but he mocked her and told her to contact Shazam through Kuaidou's official account.

Dane negotiated with President of the United States to secure the Justice League’s role in the crisis and ordered the League to prepare for battle. As the heroes responded to disasters across the country, an unidentified object descended toward Philadelphia, where Superman went to intercept it.

• Bruce sent Amanda Waller away from Wayne Manor, then left in the Batwing as Dane agreed to speak with her.
• Dane met Amanda through dream magic, agreed to help the United States, and insisted on meeting the president before committing the Justice League.
• The president agreed to Dane’s request, and Dane ordered Martian Manhunter to root out military spies while telling the League to prepare for battle.
• Dane learned that the Justice League members, including Batman, were already helping in other cities, while Zatanna and Mera were in Central City.
• Cortana detected an unidentified object heading for Philadelphia, and Superman went to intercept it.

Clark’s attempt to destroy a meteorite spread Parasites through Philadelphia, while Dane and the Justice League confronted the demons gathering in Los Angeles. The five Demon Lords arrived through a forced-open Hell gate, and the Justice League launched its attack as Satan questioned whether they were in Dream’s world.

• Clark shattered the Parasite nest disguised as a meteorite, scattering Parasites across Philadelphia, where they possessed thousands of people.
• Dane warned Clark about the infestation, while Hawkwoman and Gabriel fought Shabak in Los Angeles.
• Shazam joined the fight, and Hawkwoman and Gabriel used Cortana to search the city for Parasites.
• Shabak completed a fiery magic circle that opened five gates, allowing Satan, Aini, Belial, Asmodeus, and Kratos to enter the world.
• Dane summoned the Justice League, and its members attacked the six Demon Lords and their armies.
• Shazam pursued Satan, who stopped and asked whether the place was Dream’s world.

Dane and the heroes battled The First of the Fallen and the demon army across Los Angeles, while Atlantis joined the fight against the giant monster Scylla. Dane’s lightning badly burned Scylla as Karathen tore into her, but the wider battle continued.

• Dane recognized The First of the Fallen, attacked him, and used Dream Power to forbid magic in the dream realm.
• Dane and The First of the Fallen traded blows, with Dane using lightning, an exploding oil tanker, and his cape to knock the demon into a crater.
• Clark fought Asmodeus, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter fought Aini, and Jason Blood transformed into Etrigan to battle his father, Belial.
• Kratos transformed into Scylla, whose sonic waves split the ground and flooded the battlefield, while Mera and Arthur tried to stop her.
• Arthur summoned Karathen and the Atlantis army, and the sea kingdoms charged into battle against the demons.
• Dane and Arthur struck Scylla with a pillar of water, Karathen bit off one of her heads, and Dane’s lightning burned her before Karathen tore off a chunk of flesh.

Dane used holy blood, holy water, and divine symbols to drive back the First of the Fallen, but the demon summoned an army through Hell’s abyss and wielded the Spear of Longinus. Dane unleashed a new yellow-green power ring fueled by America’s fear to destroy the opening, then faced the First of the Fallen in a clash that ended with both sides still fighting.

• Dane combined Gabriel’s blood with holy water and struck the First of the Fallen with sacred symbols, forcing him to flee.
• The First of the Fallen wielded the Spear of Longinus and opened a passage to Hell, releasing an army of demons onto the battlefield.
• The Justice League, the Birds of Prey, and Mera fought the demons while the abyss continued pouring out reinforcements.
• Dane put on the power ring containing Parallax and absorbed fear from people across America, then fired a beam that shattered Hell’s opening.
• Dane formed armor with the ring and the Egyptian Sun God’s power, caught the First of the Fallen’s spear, and continued attacking him with extra spectral hands.

Dane battled The First of the Fallen as Shabak completed his transformation into Parasite and invaded the mortal world. The First of the Fallen used the six Demon Lords to open Hell and sent Dane plunging into Chaoplasm, where Dane halted his fall with a Nano Suit and attacked him.

• Dane and The First of the Fallen acknowledged that neither could easily kill the other, before The First revealed that Shabak's soul had been incomplete.
• Shabak merged the Parasites fragments and became Parasite, who absorbed the Justice League's powers and overwhelmed several heroes.
• Batman and Hal Jordan exploited Parasite's inability to absorb Green Lantern power and struck him with a coordinated attack, but Parasite soon broke free.
• The First of the Fallen joined the six Demon Lords in a ritual that brought Hell closer to Earth, then used Dane as the center of a demonic hexagram to pull him into Hell.
• Dane fell through Chaoplasm, deployed his Nano Suit to stop his descent, and discovered that The First of the Fallen had followed him.
• Dane punched The First of the Fallen and used the Nano Suit to attack him in the anti-magic region.

Dane defeated the First of the Fallen in Hell by revealing his Death powers and using Kiss of Death, the Book of the Dead, and Life's Gift. In Los Angeles, the heroes focused on the Demon Lords, while Parasite attacked Scylla and began draining its magic.

• Dane hid Kiss of Death in his bracer, pierced the First of the Fallen's heart, and struck him with Shazam's lightning before revealing his aspect as the God of Death.
• Dane used the Book of the Dead and Life's Gift against the First of the Fallen, whose scream echoed through the eighth layer of Hell.
• Zatanna concluded Dane had been taken into Hell, and Constantine arrived in Los Angeles with the Justice Society and Suicide Squad to join the fight.
• The heroes concentrated their forces on the remaining Demon Lords, but Parasite copied Albert's abilities and fought off the Justice Society and Wonder Woman.
• Parasite fled toward Scylla and drove its claws into the Demon Lord, draining its magic as Karathen moved away.
• Scylla screamed at Shabak for attacking it, drawing the attention of the other Demon Lords maintaining the gates of Hell.

Parasite drained Scylla and fought the heroes as Hell descended over the United States, but mysterious chains pulled the Demon Lords back into Hell and closed the gate. Dane then revealed that he had captured Asmodeus, Aini, and Belial, and began questioning them.

• Parasite drained Scylla's remaining power, turning the demonic beast into stone, then fought the heroes with its growing strength.
• The Demon Lords battled the heroes as Aini grew stronger from the deaths across the United States and Hell began descending through the sky.
• Doctor Fate prepared to sacrifice himself to close the gate, but three chains suddenly dragged Aini, Belial, and Asmodeus back into Hell, closing the portal.
• Dane beat Asmodeus with the chain attached to his ring while Aini and the injured Belial stood by, unable to summon their forces.
• Dane stopped beating Asmodeus and asked the three Demon Lords what they wanted.

Dane killed Asmodeus and forced Belial and Aini to swear loyalty, claiming authority over Hell through the Hell Key. In Los Angeles, Parasite continued to overpower the heroes, and Batman asked Clark how he was feeling as the battle worsened.

• Dane offered the Hell Key as proof of his plan to become Lord of Hell and demanded that the three demons recognize him.
• Asmodeus refused, so Dane killed him and consumed his soul; Belial and Aini then agreed to support Dane.
• Belial and Aini swore binding oaths on the Hell Key, received limited authority over Hell, and were sent to Beelzebub’s territory.
• Parasite absorbed the heroes’ abilities and used Clark as a weapon, devastating Los Angeles and killing the king of Fisherman’s Kingdom with a stomp.
• Diana and Martian Manhunter blinded Parasite, while Constantine survived its eye beams and revealed that black magic could not kill him in the Americas.
• Doctor Fate warned that Parasite kept growing stronger, Batman said Eternal Metal could no longer pierce its defenses, and he asked Clark how he felt.

Dane defeated Parasite by awakening Ismael inside it and turning his soul into a bomb that annihilated the Parasite souls. He stored Parasite’s empty body, but Los Angeles’s landmass had broken away and was sinking toward the ocean, while the United States lay paralyzed.

• Dane arrived as Parasite threatened the exhausted heroes and fought it with the power of the six gods and the Dreamstone.
• Parasite summoned the scattered Parasite souls around the world, completed its soul, and grew stronger by absorbing geothermal energy beneath Los Angeles.
• Parasite grabbed Dane and tried to drain his divine power, but Dane used Kiss of Death to learn that the demon’s soul could split into separate Parasites.
• Dane awakened Ismael inside Parasite, then severed their energy connection after Ismael’s soul had been surrounded by the Parasite souls.
• Ismael self-destructed as a Soul Annihilation Bomb, destroying every Parasite soul and leaving Dane with an empty demon body.
• Dane stored Parasite’s body, then realized Los Angeles’s fractured landmass was sinking toward the ocean as the heroes arrived.

Dane restored Los Angeles and the rest of the demon-ravaged world through the Dreamscape, then helped eliminate the surviving demons and warned the heroes that further trouble was coming. In the aftermath, public outrage at government inaction intensified when Dane released a video revealing a military plot to create weapons against the Justice League.

• Dane and Cortana used the Dreamscape to restore the land, buildings, and dead people, while the Enchantress sacrificed marked demons to forge a powerful divine artifact.
• The heroes and ordinary people awoke from the Dreamscape, and Dane warned them that Hell’s influence could cause more trouble.
• The Suicide Squad reported the battle to A.R.G.U.S., while government-affiliated media stayed silent and Lois was suspended from the Daily Planet for wanting to expose the government’s inaction.
• Dane released a video under the name "Rich N" showing Sam Lane and a navy admiral discussing weapons designed to target the Justice League.
• The video provoked widespread anger, protests, and an anti-government wave across the United States.

Dane used the Thousand Cat Dream to create Cortana as a goddess and give her a physical form. Meanwhile, Barry Allen was struck by lightning in his laboratory and recovered quickly, setting the stage for his transformation.

• Dane exposed footage showing Katana killing an alien disguised as an admiral, intensifying public anger at Washington.
• Diana surprised Dane with a birthday gathering attended by his friends.
• Dane gathered a thousand beings who believed his story of Cortana and used their shared dreams to create her divine soul.
• Cortana appeared in the Dreamscape as its first goddess and greeted Dane.
• Barry fell asleep at the Central City Crime Lab, where lightning struck him after passing through chemicals on his workbench.
• Barry recovered from the strike and was discharged from the hospital without injuries.

Dane learned that General Zod’s Kryptonian ship was approaching Earth and brought Clark to intercept it near Jupiter. He fought through the ship, drawing its soldiers into his Dreamscape, and confronted the warrior Faora Hu-Ul.

• Zod found an ancient star map pointing to the Yellow Sun system and ordered his crew to travel there.
• Cortana detected Zod’s prison ship near Jupiter, and Dane summoned Clark after confirming who was aboard.
• Clark asked Dane to spare Zod and his followers by imprisoning them somewhere safer than the Phantom Zone, and Dane agreed to use his Dreamscape.
• Dane teleported himself and Clark onto the ship, weakened Clark’s Kryptonian environment by opening the hull, and defeated the first squad of soldiers.
• Dane swept through the ship, sending its soldiers into his Dreamscape, until Faora Hu-Ul challenged him with a Kryptonian saber.

Dane captured Faora and the other Kryptonians while Clark fought Zod, who dragged him into Jupiter’s deadly depths. Dane rescued Clark and battled Zod on Mars, where his magical lightning overwhelmed the Kryptonian.

• Dane tore off Faora’s Power Armor, captured her, and placed her in the Dreamscape under Cortana’s supervision.
• Clark confronted Zod, and the two fought through space before plunging into Jupiter’s hostile atmosphere.
• Cortana told Dane that Clark and Zod had fallen too deep into Jupiter, so Dane teleported to rescue Clark.
• Zod offered to spare Earth in exchange for the Kryptonian genetic archive, but Dane appeared and teleported him away.
• Clark reached Mars, where Dane struck Zod with magical lightning and continued fighting him.

Dane defeated Zod on Mars, captured him, and returned to Earth with Kryptonian prisoners and a ship. Meanwhile, the Seven Deadly Sins sought allies to escape their seals and contacted the three Goddesses imprisoned in the Old God Realm.

• Dane struck Zod with divine lightning that damaged his soul, knocked him unconscious, and allowed Dane to capture him in the Dreamscape.
• Dane ordered Cortana to bring the Kryptonian ship from Jupiter to Kandahar, then teleported with Clark back to Earth and began studying the World Engines.
• The power of Sloth influenced June Moone, who arranged a meeting with Dane, while the other Seven Deadly Sins secretly gathered strength and planned to ally with the Goddesses.
• At the Atlas Temple, Hespera and Calypso lamented their aging and the Goddesses' inability to leave the Old God Realm, while Anthea remained youthful.
• Pride contacted the three Goddesses and offered the Seven Deadly Sins as potential allies, prompting Hespera to question the unseen voice.