Chapter Summaries

Ba Di learned that Raven’s father, Trigon, would soon invade Earth and agreed to risk confronting his projection so Raven could seal it. He left the car resolved to survive and grow powerful enough to make Trigon his servant.

• Zatara sensed a hidden demon of immense power and used Time Reversal to investigate its traces.
• Raven told Ba Di how Trigon destroyed Azarath Sanctuary and explained that his projection could reach Earth through her within a week.
• Raven said Ba Di’s unusual soul might withstand Trigon in the Mind World while she used the Red Crystal to seal the projection.
• Ba Di considered postponing the fight so he could first obtain the Codex of Life, but Raven warned there was no time.
• Ba Di accepted that he had to risk the battle and vowed that if he survived, he would make Trigon into a dog.

As Ba Di and Raven rode through Fifth Avenue, they agreed to face Trigon's projection, due in a week, while Raven's hunger interrupted their planning. Mike misunderstood Ba Di's request for food and returned with a streetwalker, but when he came back with ordinary food, the SUV and its occupants had vanished.

• Ba Di brooded over the threat of Trigon's projection and resolved to grow stronger rather than let anyone control his life.
• Raven sensed Ba Di's hidden pain and considered talking with him, but her growling stomach forced her to explain that sealing her energy made her need food.
• Ba Di gave Raven a piece of chocolate, which she enjoyed and thanked him for.
• Mike returned with an unconscious streetwalker, mistakenly believing Raven ate people, and Raven told him she did not.
• Mike apologized and left to buy pizza, hamburgers, and packaged steaks, but when he returned, the parking space was empty and the SUV was gone.

Ba Di and Raven were teleported from Manhattan to a remote Atlantic island covered in magic arrays. As a giant, mist-formed Zatara appeared before them, he accused Raven of trying to run.

• Ba Di sensed teleportation magic and prepared to pull Raven from the car, but she stopped him and trusted the portal.
• The SUV passed through a vortex and landed on a grassy island, which Ba Di located using the stars as roughly 3,527 kilometers from Manhattan.
• Raven detected magic arrays across the island that amplified flames and sealed space, while Ba Di found his reactions suppressed.
• Zatara appeared as a giant figure formed from mist and confronted Raven, asking, "Demon, trying to run?"

Ba Di faced Zatara’s colossal mist giant alone, determined to test his physical ability against magic despite his vulnerability to it. He charged across the prairie at supersonic speed as Zatara attacked, and the battle began with a giant mist hand descending on him.

• Raven offered to fight Zatara, but Ba Di told her to eat her chocolate and continued forward.
• Ba Di removed his coat, swallowed two Sun Energy Capsules, and charged at the mist giant to test himself against magic.
• Ba Di broke the sound barrier as he sprinted across the prairie, startling Raven and Zatara with his speed and ferocity.
• Zatara called Ba Di a servant of demons and swung a massive mist hand down toward him.

Ba Di endured Zatara’s magical barrage of wind blades, healing from the hundreds of wounds as he charged toward the mist giant’s true body. Zatara’s mist contracted into the forest, where he prepared a Magic Force Field Shield as Ba Di arrived.

• Ba Di dodged Zatara’s mist giant’s crushing hand and sprinted toward it after his fist passed harmlessly through the mist.
• Zatara transformed the mist giant’s hands into countless wind blades and unleashed them at Ba Di.
• Ba Di endured the barrage, emerged covered in wounds, and healed almost instantly.
• Zatara realized Ba Di had found his location and drew the mist back into his body in the forest.
• Zatara cast a Magic Force Field Shield as Ba Di arrived, his crimson eyes visible in the darkness.

Ba Di broke Zatara’s magical defenses with Heat Vision and battled him in close combat after Zatara encased himself in Diamond Armor. Ba Di shattered the armor and stood poised above it, while Zatara cried that it was impossible.

• Ba Di fired Heat Vision into Zatara’s magic array, destroying its barrier and forcing Zatara to defend himself with an earthen wall and mud.
• Zatara transformed the mud around his body into crystal-clear Diamond Armor, then taunted Ba Di.
• Ba Di replenished his energy with a Sun Energy Capsule and charged Zatara, beginning a brutal exchange of blows in the forest.
• Ba Di studied the Diamond Armor’s structure through their impacts and found crucial weak points.
• Ba Di blasted apart Zatara’s Diamond Armor and raised his foot to stomp it as Zatara shouted that it was impossible.

Ba Di endured Zatara’s Mind Magic, which drew him into a dream of marrying Ying Ying and forced him to confront his painful past. He broke the dream by tearing Ying Ying apart, and a blood-red, hellish aura emerged as the vines attacked him.

• Ba Di defeated Zatara in close combat, but the Adamantine Armor exploded and Zatara escaped into the sky.
• Zatara used Mind Magic across the island, making Ba Di drowsy and drawing him into the Mind World.
• Raven watched without intervening, believing Ba Di needed to prove he could withstand Mind Magic before facing Trigon.
• Vines crawled over Ba Di and pierced his skin as the dream presented him with a wedding to Ying Ying.
• Ba Di ignored the dream’s script and tore Ying Ying apart, then awakened as the vines neared his eyes and a hellish aura rose from him.

Ba Di endured Zatara’s Mind Magic and fought through a barrage of spells before Zatara sealed him in another space. Ba Di emerged after a minute and a half, while Zatara stood battered and dazed.

• Ba Di broke free of Zatara’s Mind World after only two or three seconds, startling Zatara and impressing Raven.
• Zatara attacked Ba Di from the air with elemental spells, but Ba Di dodged most attacks and survived a storm of ice needles.
• Zatara tried controlling Ba Di’s senses and trapping him in illusions, but Ba Di’s will and instincts let him resist them.
• Zatara used the confusion to activate the Sealed Space and trap Ba Di in a dark, empty dimension.
• Ba Di escaped after a minute and thirty seconds and found Zatara standing nearby in tattered clothes, dazed.

With Trigon expected to reach Earth in a week, Ba Di persuaded Zatara to provide him with magical knowledge so he could prepare to fight in the Mind World. Raven also offered to teach him, trusting his apparent resolve to save the planet, while Ba Di secretly focused only on surviving and gaining power.

• Zatara told Ba Di and Raven that Trigon would arrive in a week and could destroy Earth, after receiving warnings from his father and the Magic World’s diviners.
• Ba Di and Raven continued eating their elaborate seafood breakfast, and Raven said they might as well enjoy it before they died.
• Ba Di asked Zatara for access to magical principles, spells, and training methods so he could strengthen his Mind World against Trigon.
• Zatara agreed to gather magical knowledge and share his family’s secret arts and Meditation Technique spells with Ba Di within a day.
• Raven offered to teach Ba Di magic, believing he was preparing to save Earth, while Ba Di privately wanted only to survive and become powerful.

Ba Di used a Sun Energy Capsule to amplify his mind and studied the principles of magic with Zatara, interpreting it as a science shaped by Mental Strength, the soul, and Magic Bloodlines. The lesson led Ba Di to suspect that Kryptonians’ engineered origins left their minds vulnerable, though he could not yet confirm his theory.

• Zatara cleared the Presidential Suite’s living room and laid out a vast collection of magical materials for Ba Di’s instruction.
• Ba Di absorbed a Sun Energy Capsule and strengthened his brain, achieving an extraordinary level of focus and calculation.
• Zatara explained how Mental Strength, the soul, and Magic Bloodlines enabled people to cast magic.
• Ba Di studied magic as a system of forces, particles, frequencies, and runes that also required the mind and soul.
• Ba Di connected Zatara’s account of inherited magical information to Kryptonians’ engineered births and wondered whether that explained their mental vulnerability.

Ba Di studied magic with Zatara, using scientific principles to reinterpret spells and Mental Strength while absorbing Raven’s deeper magical knowledge. He discovered that his Kryptonian genetic chain prevented him from projecting Mental Strength for mental magic, but he had no time to address the flaw before facing Trigon.

• Zatara explained magic to Ba Di, whose scientific questions challenged Zatara’s understanding of the subject.
• Over the following week, Ba Di studied Zatara’s teachings and Raven’s extensive magical knowledge until he could analyze spells and assess Zatara’s abilities.
• Ba Di realized his Kryptonian force fields bound his Mental Strength within his cells, preventing him from using mental magic.
• Ba Di accepted that he could eventually repair the weakness, but the time to confront Trigon had arrived.

Ba Di prepared to face Trigon’s planet-destroying projection, with Raven and the Magic World placing their hopes in him. The chapter ended as he tried to steady Raven before entering the Mind World to fight.

• Mike delivered a case containing 380 Sun Energy Capsules to Ba Di in the Presidential Suite.
• Raven arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel, tense about confronting her father, Trigon, again.
• Ba Di explained that the capsules could replenish his energy and that Raven would have to care for him while he fought Trigon in the Mind World.
• Ba Di recalled the information Raven and Zatara had given him and accepted that the fight against Trigon was unavoidable.
• Ba Di removed his coat and shirt, saw Raven’s fear taking hold, and shouted, “Focus!”

Raven broke down after the seal on her emotions opened, and Ba Di comforted her with chocolate before they prepared to face Trigon. Raven transformed into her demonic form and explained how her blood would let Ba Di take on her aura while she fought alongside him inside his body; dark clouds then gathered over Manhattan.

• Raven relived the slaughter of her mother, teachers, and Azarath Sanctuary, and Ba Di offered her chocolate to help her recover.
• Ba Di told Raven that he had created the Raven Chocolate Company for her, and she accepted the chocolate while crying.
• Raven regained her resolve, told Ba Di to turn around, and unleashed her full demonic power.
• Raven explained that she would draw a magic circle on Ba Di with her demon blood so he could take on her aura while she fought alongside him within his body.
• A vast vortex of black clouds appeared over Manhattan, spreading an oppressive, evil presence.

Trigon’s aura plunged New York into darkness and drove its people into a violent riot. Raven and Ba Di completed a magical transformation that made Ba Di indistinguishable from her, and Zatara arrived after the city’s crisis was quelled.

• Trigon’s aura poured through a vortex above New York, extinguishing the city’s lights and inciting its residents to riot.
• Raven paused her work on Ba Di when she sensed Trigon, but Ba Di urged her to focus.
• Raven completed the magical arrays, and Ba Di endured a painful transformation into Raven’s body.
• Raven merged with Ba Di’s transformed body, allowing him to radiate her true aura and fool Trigon.
• A streak of light from the Four Seasons Hotel split the vortex and clouds, restoring sunlight and calming New York’s rioting.
• Zatara entered, tense, as Ba Di stood disguised as Raven.

Ba Di, disguised as Raven with the real Raven hidden within him, crossed the ruined Azarath Sanctuary toward its sacred peak to confront Trigon. The chapter ended with him climbing alone beneath Trigon’s oppressive presence while Raven grieved for her destroyed world.

• Ba Di and Zatara arrived in Azarath Sanctuary and saw the poisoned, lifeless wasteland Trigon had created.
• Raven mourned the deaths of the planet’s people and blamed herself for drawing Trigon there.
• Zatara warned Ba Di to be careful and stayed behind to conceal the coordinates connecting Earth to Azarath Sanctuary.
• Ba Di crossed the ruined town, forest, and poisoned lakeside, sharing Raven’s grief as he went.
• Ba Di reached the sacred peak and began climbing toward Trigon’s immense presence in the clouds.

Trigon awaited Raven at Azarath Sanctuary after his demons slaughtered its inhabitants and turned them into blood for his feast. When a cloaked figure approached and offered to become his puppet to spare Earth, Trigon found the soul intriguing.

• Trigon sat on his throne above a sea of blood made from Azarath Sanctuary's inhabitants and awaited Raven's return.
• A cloaked figure approached Trigon along the bloodstained corridor, trembling with grief and fury.
• Ba Di recognized the immense power and terrifying aura Trigon radiated.
• The cloaked figure asked Trigon to spare Earth and offered to become his puppet.
• Trigon told the figure that their soul was very interesting.

Trigon saw through Ba Di and Raven’s disguise in Azarath Sanctuary, leaving their attempt to deceive him in ruins. As Raven faced her father in despair, Ba Di’s fury surged, and he urged her to raise her head while confronting Trigon.

• Trigon recognized Ba Di and Raven’s deception and called for Raven to reveal herself.
• Raven separated from Ba Di, who endured the painful expulsion of Trigon’s demon blood before Raven cleansed and clothed him.
• Raven apologized to Trigon and faced him with an expression of hopeless despair.
• Ba Di grew furious at his inability to protect Raven and clenched a Sun Energy Capsule in his hand.
• Trigon rose in astonishment and fixed his gaze on Ba Di, who pressed a hand to Raven’s shoulder and ordered her to raise her head.

Ba Di swallowed 380 Sun Energy Capsules and used his Mental Strength to force his Kryptonian genes into a one-time, destructive transformation. As Trigon attacked, Ba Di held up the demon’s palm, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Ba Di swallowed 380 Sun Energy Capsules, causing his cells to dissolve under the overwhelming solar energy.
• Ba Di used his Mental Strength to twist his Kryptonian genes and transformed into a seven-meter-tall, bone-spiked figure whose power would kill him once exhausted.
• Raven realized Ba Di was unleashing his deepest power and cried out that he would die, while Trigon discovered the extraordinary potential of Ba Di’s soul and claimed it as his own.
• Trigon summoned a giant demonic hand and slammed it down toward Ba Di.
• Ba Di braced himself in a crater and held up Trigon’s palm, resisting the crushing force as Raven watched.

Raven overcame her fear of Trigon and transformed into a giant raven to attack him while Ba Di held back the demon’s crushing palm. Her strike caved in Trigon’s chest and freed Ba Di from his grip, leaving Raven floating alone beneath the stars.

• Raven watched Ba Di hold up Trigon’s palm despite his body breaking apart and found the courage to fight instead of submit.
• Raven erupted with dark energy, opened a third eye, and transformed into an enormous raven as her cry extinguished the Hellfire and cleared the clouds above Divine Peak.
• Trigon roared at Raven, but she answered with another piercing cry and charged toward him at tremendous speed.
• Raven slammed into Trigon’s chest, caving in his ribs and sending blood drifting through the air.
• Trigon’s grip loosened, and Ba Di looked up to see Raven floating alone beneath the starry sky.

Ba Di unleashed his stored solar energy and blasted Trigon’s heart apart, but Trigon survived. Ba Di caught the weakened Raven and prepared to continue the fight.

• Ba Di spent his energy to shatter the corridor and launch himself toward the wound in Trigon’s chest.
• Trigon panicked because he wanted Ba Di’s unusually valuable soul and feared Ba Di would destroy it by exhausting himself.
• Ba Di struck Trigon’s exposed heart with a golden fist, piercing his chest and blasting the heart apart.
• Ba Di caught Raven as he descended onto another corridor, and Raven warned that Trigon was still alive.
• Ba Di confirmed that Trigon’s powerful life force remained.