Suspicion of Human Demon

Two figures burst through the clouds, landing steadily on a patch of wild grass at the outskirts of Salem City.

The soil beneath their feet carried the dampness of early morning, and the distant city outline flickered faintly through the thin mist.

Shane stumbled half a step after landing, not because his injuries hadn't healed, but due to a sudden surge of irritation rising in his heart.

He raised a hand to rub his brow, his gaze sweeping over the sprawling urban area in the distance, his frown deepening.

The information Batman had provided was only precise to Salem City, but this was a full city, not some isolated stronghold.

Doctor Fate was already elusive by nature, accustomed to keeping a low profile, and finding a magic-side hero who deliberately concealed himself in a sea of people was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"What, stumped?"

Diana landed beside him, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.

She had long noticed that Shane had been eagerly planning the whole way, but hadn't expected that this guy hadn't even considered the most basic problem of "how to find the person precisely."

Shane turned to look at her, not denying his oversight.

"I really didn't think it through. I just figured I'd get here first and then figure it out."

He paused, a glint of slyness flashing in his eyes.

"How about this: I'll head into the city, pretend to be a super villain, flip a few cars, and yell a couple of times. Once people start screaming for help, Doctor Fate, as the guardian here, should come out to check, right?"

"Don't you dare!"

Diana reached out and tapped him on the head, her tone laced with helplessness.

She knew Shane was joking, but the idea of using destruction as a means still made her frown involuntarily.

This kid's Viltrumite mindset was truly ingrained.

"Alright, no more jokes."

Shane rubbed the spot she'd tapped, dropping his playful expression, his tone turning serious.

"Teacher Prince, I need your help."

Diana raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

"You're an Amazon princess, blessed with divine power. Maybe your aura can draw Doctor Fate's attention."

Shane explained, this being the safest method he could think of.

Diana pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"It's worth a try. Doctor Fate's artifacts share the same origin as divine power, so they might sense my magic bracelets."

She pulled Shane to an open space at the city entrance, then raised her arms.

The pair of ancient magic bracelets on her wrists gently clashed, emitting a crisp, pleasant ringing sound—"Ding!"

The sound waves spread outward, accompanied by a faint golden light barely visible to the naked eye, rippling like water toward the depths of the city.

Where the light passed, the magical energy in the air began to stir slightly, and the distant mist dissipated a bit.

The two waited quietly for a moment.

Just as Shane thought the method wouldn't work, a golden light suddenly flickered in the sky.

A tower-shaped structure, entirely golden, slowly materialized in midair. Its surface was engraved with complex runes, glowing with a sacred luster under the sunlight, rotating slowly about twenty meters above the ground.

Then, a figure flew out from the tower's surface, which rippled like water.

The figure wore a tight dark blue suit, draped in a golden cape, but most striking was the full-face, seamless golden helmet on his head, completely covering his face, with only a faint magical glow flowing along its edges.

It was Doctor Fate.

Shane stared at that smooth helmet with no visible openings, inwardly grumbling.

Wouldn't wearing that thing on your head feel stuffy?

Just as his thoughts wandered, Doctor Fate slowly descended and landed before the two.

His voice came through the helmet, carrying an ethereal and majestic quality, as if crossing time and space.

"Daughter of Zeus, Diana Prince, the God Nabu sends his greetings."

"I'd prefer you call me Diana, or Wonder Woman."

Diana frowned, clearly disliking the title "Daughter of Zeus."

Doctor Fate didn't argue, turning his helmet toward Shane, his tone suddenly turning icy, filled with undisguised hostility.

"Human Demon, leave this land."

Without another word, he raised a hand, and pale golden magical light gathered before him, forming a symbol resembling a cross.

The Ankh Life Symbol.

The magic, condensed into the shape of the symbol, radiated a strong oppressive aura, pressing down on Shane, carrying an implicit threat to act if he didn't leave.

"What do you mean by that?"

Diana's expression shifted, instinctively stepping in front of Shane, raising an arm to block the magical light.

"Doctor Fate, he is my student, not some Human Demon! Please explain yourself—why are you insulting him like this?"

"A student?"

Doctor Fate let out a sneer, his tone dripping with contempt.

"Princess of Zeus, you can't even see the true face of a Human Demon?"

He raised a hand and pointed at Shane, his voice suddenly rising.

"In the sight of God Nabu, the resentment and bloodlust clinging to this brat are thicker than those of most demons deep in Hell! A 'Human Demon' capable of angering God Nabu has slaughtered at least hundreds of millions of Intelligent Life!"

"Hundreds of millions?"

Diana's body trembled, the frame shielding Shane stiffening slightly.

She turned her head to look at Shane in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

She knew God Nabu's level; such an existence would never lie.

But after spending these days with Shane, all she saw was a youth trying to break free from his past and live a decent life. How could he be a demon who had slaughtered hundreds of millions of Intelligent Life?

She took a deep breath, turned around, and fixed her gaze on Shane, her voice carrying a faint, barely perceptible tremor.

"Shane, what he said... is it true?"

Shane fell silent.

He had long known that his past could never be fully hidden.

After arriving on Earth, he had been honest about coming from Viltrum, honest about that planet's brutality, but he had concealed the blood on his hands.

Not because he didn't want to speak, but because he couldn't.

Killing on this scale could no longer be summed up as 'making mistakes' or 'repenting.'

In the entire careers of all Justice League Superheroes, all the Supervillains they had faced combined probably hadn't taken as many lives as he had.

Even counting the interstellar criminals Green Lantern had dealt with across the cosmos, it still wouldn't be enough.

He had no way to defend himself, because what Doctor Fate said was the truth.

Those civilizations conquered by Viltrum, those weak races used as 'training targets'—billions, tens of billions of lives—had died directly or indirectly at his hands and those of other Viltrumite Warriors.

"He was born on Viltrum, a civilization that prides itself on conquest and slaughter."

Diana looked at Shane's silent expression and already knew the answer, but she couldn't help defending him.

"That wasn't his choice! He was forced to participate; he must feel terrible about it too!"

"Self-deception."

Doctor Fate cut her off without mercy.

"If he had felt even a shred of remorse for the killings of the past, the bloodlust and sin aura on him wouldn't be so heavy. From the perspective of Soul Magic, his soul has long been soaked in blood, with no possibility of redemption."

Diana's expression finally turned serious.

She looked back at Shane again, a last glimmer of hope in her eyes, waiting for his rebuttal.

Even if he said just one thing, she would be willing to believe him first.

But Shane only looked at her, his usually emotionless eyes now filled with exhaustion, and let out a soft sigh.

That sigh said it all.

Diana's heart sank. She didn't press further but turned to face Doctor Fate, her voice heavy.

"We came here to seek your help. My student has been targeted by the Goddess of Discord Eris and obtained her artifact, the Golden Apple. We need to find a way to counter it and deal with Eris's revenge after her resurrection."

"Impossible."

Doctor Fate refused without a second thought.

"God Nabu will never help a Human Demon whose hands are stained with blood. Until you leave Salem City completely, I will be watching you. Don't try to linger here."

The golden ankh symbol flared again, this time stirring up a massive gust of wind out of thin air.

Shane stood in the howling wind, gave a slight nod to Doctor Fate, and said calmly, "Apologies for disturbing you. I'll leave now."

With that, he didn't linger, turned, and soared into the air, flying away from Salem City.

Diana watched his retreating figure, hesitated for a few seconds, then finally chased after him.

Midair, after wrestling with herself for a moment, she suddenly sped up, flew in front of Shane, blocked his path, and looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Shane, tell me—under what circumstances did you have to kill so many people?"