At the same time, in Gotham's East End.
"ROOOOAR!!!!!"
The terrifying roar shattered the already ruined pavement inch by inch. The thick haze of grit and dust hanging over the area was instantly blown away, only for an even larger cloud to billow up.
"This monster... does he ever get tired...?"
Across from him, Wonder Woman gripped the Lasso of Truth, her body covered in bruises and her expression grim.
She had been fighting this monster for hours straight. Though the blessings of the gods kept her from feeling exhausted, the same seemed to hold true for her opponent. He even grew stronger the longer they fought.
This was far from normal. Where had something so terrifying come from?
"Cough, cough... he's immortal, and he probably doesn't get tired either. Looks like a battle of attrition won't work."
Beside her, Jack slowly crawled out of a pile of rubble. His body was engorged and swollen, his height forced past two meters sixty, leaving him looking barely human.
"How are you holding up? Can you keep going?"
"No problem. I won't die."
After receiving that assurance, Wonder Woman said nothing more. She tightened her grip on the Lasso of Truth and took up her stance again.
"We'll stick to the plan. I'll hold him off head-on. You find a way to immobilize him!"
As she spoke, she charged again, trading blows with the blue-gray monster.
Jack didn't hesitate either. He pulled out his last resort-a one-liter bottle of a specially formulated drug-and poured it straight down his throat without a second thought.
"Urgh... ah..."
The dose, enough to poison tens of thousands of people at once, instantly subjected Jack to horrifying pain. His flesh writhed, his body expanding at a speed that defied all science. The skin on the outside split