Chapter Summaries

Diana returned and learned that Donna had been taken by The Batman Who Laughs, so she pressed Su Ming to promise they would rescue her after dealing with Circe. Madame Xanadu’s Tarot reading pointed them toward acting quickly, and Su Ming left with Diana to pursue their next step.

• Diana returned with an Amazon guard and confronted Su Ming over Donna’s disappearance.
• Su Ming promised to rescue Donna after they dealt with Circe, and Diana agreed to sit with the group.
• Madame Xanadu performed a Tarot reading for Diana and warned that Donna was about to leave their trail.
• Su Ming asked Vivienne to locate Donna, but Vivienne and Mazikeen explained that she lacked the necessary connection or personal belonging.
• Wade claimed The Batman Who Laughs was hiding in Slaughter Swamp, but Su Ming warned that the information might be a trap and left with Diana.

Damian briefed Aquaman and Hawkgirl on the Hall of Justice attack, but with the League’s members distracted by personal crises, he decided to leave and handle his own priorities. Aquaman tried to keep the meeting going and called M'gann to comfort Hawkgirl.

• Damian told Aquaman and Hawkgirl that Luthor had been seen underground, while the attack’s surviving witnesses and damaged surveillance provided few other clues.
• The chapter recounted how Superman’s pursuit of Leviathan had contributed to General Lane’s death and left Lois missing with Talia, while Leviathan’s identity as Mark Shaw remained unresolved.
• Hawkgirl continued to struggle after Martian Manhunter disappeared, and Damian decided to find his mother and have Talia bring Lois back to Superman.
• Damian ended the meeting, told Aquaman to guard the Hall until Deathstroke returned, and left to attend to his own affairs.
• Aquaman called M'gann, hoping that seeing another Martian would help Hawkgirl.

The World Forger brought Starman to the ruined Monitor Sphere to recruit the Monitor against Perpetua, whom the brothers called Mother. The Monitor joined them, but said they also needed the Anti-Monitor, so they set out for Qward in the Anti-Matter Universe.

• The World Forger explained to Starman how the multiverse had changed, how his brothers had returned to their true forms, and how Barbatos and The Batman Who Laughs had contributed to their crisis.
• The Monitor arrived in the ruined Monitor Sphere and told the World Forger that he wanted to save their multiverse from the destruction Mother threatened.
• The World Forger asked the Monitor to join his plan, but the Monitor doubted their chances because he had lost his emissaries and ship.
• Starman and the World Forger urged the Monitor to keep hope, and he agreed to fight alongside them.
• The Monitor said they needed the Anti-Monitor and proposed traveling to Qward, while Starman offered to help negotiate.

Monitor, the Forger, and Starman searched the Anti-Matter Universe for Anti-Monitor but fled when Sinestro and the Legion of Doom confronted them. Sinestro then sent Cheetah and Groot to target heroes in other worlds while Luthor pursued his Dark Multiverse plan.

• Monitor warned Starman not to touch the Anti-Matter Universe’s inhabitants, and the Forger identified the corpses as Weaponers of Qward who had been scared to death by Anti-Monitor.
• The Forger found Anti-Monitor’s message, written in Ancient Maltusian Script, telling them not to follow him.
• Sinestro and the Legion of Doom appeared, and the Forger used his hammer to escape with Monitor and Starman, fearing Perpetua might be watching.
• Cheetah and Groot suggested attacking Wonder Woman and the Flashes, while Sinestro chose to target heroes in other worlds to test their commitment to the Justice League.

Su Ming teased Diana about the code names for the Main World’s Superman and Batwoman while they discussed her ties to Earth-0 and searched for Circe. The chapter ended with Barry taking them back to the castle as Diana’s family losses and Jason’s abduction were recounted.

• Su Ming explained that he called Superman “No Brain” and Batwoman “No Happiness” to distinguish them from their counterparts across the Multiverse.
• Diana explained that most of her Amazon counterparts had left, while she remained on Earth-0 because Paradise Island was her home.
• Su Ming asked Barry to take them back to the castle so they could find Circe, and Barry agreed on the condition that Su Ming stop talking to him about women.
• Su Ming reflected on Diana’s missing mother, Hippolyta, who had vanished from Paradise Island without a trace.
• The chapter recounted how Diana’s brother Jason had offered himself to the Five Dark Gods and been taken away, despite the Justice League being on the verge of defeating them.
• Diana’s past losses explained why she had become anxious when she learned that Donna was missing.

After interpreting Madame Xanadu’s prophecy, Su Ming concluded that the wisest way to reach Dark Maia was to dig a well. He turned Godslayer into a shovel and assigned Harley to dig, leaving the group ready to begin.

• Diana returned to the castle with Barry, Deathstroke, Mazikeen, and Deadpool and told the heroes that Madame Xanadu’s prophecy confirmed Circe was their enemy.
• Su Ming explained that the prophecy called for the wisest method to open a passage to Dark Maia, and he proposed digging a well.
• Bobo, Cyborg, and Diana offered their ideas about wisdom before Su Ming explained that great wisdom could seem foolish and that a complicated problem should be handled simply.
• Su Ming transformed Godslayer into an iron shovel and gave it to Harley, telling her to dig while thinking about reaching the conceptual dimension on Maia’s opposite side.

Su Ming explained why Diana could not kill Circe and revealed his plan to capture and seal her with Black Diamond. The group emerged from the underground passage ready to confront Circe, with Diana set to act enraged while Cyborg and Maze handled the rest.

• Harley opened a passage to Circe by digging with an iron shovel, and Deathstroke stopped Diana from attacking because Circe could not be killed.
• Su Ming told Diana that killing Circe would give her both remaining Witch's Marks and risk making her the next God of Witchcraft.
• Su Ming warned that The Upside-Down Man would turn against Diana if she became valuable enough to consume, despite their current agreement.
• Su Ming explained that he had gathered Black Diamond from the Fire Pits as material for sealing Circe.
• As the group neared the passage's exit, Su Ming told Diana to feign anger and leave the capture plan to Cyborg and Maze.

The group discovered that Circe’s battlefield lay in the ruins of the Kor Empire, an ancient Magi civilization tied to The Upside-Down Man. As monsters surrounded them, Deadpool and Harley began slaughtering the enemy while Zatanna wondered why she had been brought along.

• Bobo identified the ruins as the Kor Empire in the Magic Dimension and explained the Magi’s connection to Hecate and The Upside-Down Man.
• Starfire, Blackfire, the Lanterns, and the Lantern Demons charged into battle, leaving Zatanna unable to safely cast spells.
• Skeleton Soldiers and larger monsters emerged from the rainforest and encircled the group.
• Deadpool charged into the Skeleton Soldiers, while Harley fired a heavy machine gun and imagined gaining points for each kill.
• Zatanna complained that she felt unnecessary, and Bobo reminded her that she had been in Maya and needed rescuing.

Deathstroke fought Solomon Grundy while the others battled Circe’s team, and he learned that Perpetua’s energy protected Circe from being sealed. After outmaneuvering Grundy’s attacks, Deathstroke decided to use the Cloak of Levitation to send the regenerating giant Zombie to another dimension.

• Diana charged Circe, and Deathstroke redirected Cyborg to support her with positron energy beams.
• Mazikeen signaled that Circe’s protective barrier could not yet be broken, so Deathstroke continued fighting the opposing team.
• Deathstroke repeatedly severed Grundy’s limbs and head, but The Grey regenerated him each time.
• Grundy’s headlong charge struck a decoy, while the real Deathstroke emerged from the crater with Strangle.
• Deathstroke called on the Cloak of Levitation to carry Grundy into another dimension.

Su Ming sent Grundy to Limbo and watched Blackfire and Dex-Starr fail to break through Plant Master's defenses. He explained the myth of Antaeus and revealed how to defeat a foe whose strength depended on being rooted to the ground.

• Su Ming ordered Cloak to carry Grundy to Limbo after Circe blinded him with a black cloth.
• Blackfire and Dex-Starr bombarded Plant Master, but his layered wooden defenses and connection to the earth kept him safe.
• Su Ming stopped Dex-Starr's attack and began telling him and Blackfire the story of Antaeus.
• Su Ming explained that Hercules defeated Antaeus by lifting him off the ground, cutting him off from Gaea's power.
• Dex-Starr realized they needed to dig away the ground beneath Plant Master's wooden shell.

Deathstroke and his allies exploited Plant Master's dependence on soil to strip away his defenses and trap him inside a wooden shell. With Plant Master cornered and unable to escape, Deathstroke prepared to finish him.

• After Deathstroke gave tactical guidance, Dex-Starr lifted Plant Master's wooden shell and its soil while Blackfire blasted away the earth and Deathstroke chopped through the wood.
• Plant Master tried to draw energy from the ground, but Dex-Starr severed his roots after Deathstroke identified his dependence on soil.
• Dex-Starr held Plant Master aloft as Deathstroke carved the wooden shield into a walnut-shaped sphere and then drilled a hole through it with Godslayer.
• Cloak returned with Godslayer, and Deathstroke entered the wooden shell through the hole and approached the cornered Plant Master with a pair of scissors.

Su Ming killed Plant Master, then left Blackfire and Dex-Starr to support the ground battle while he went to help Jessica fight Witch Boy. Jessica’s Omega-powered attacks had caught Witch Boy off guard, and the confrontation continued with him protecting his cat, Teekl.

• Su Ming killed Plant Master with the Photon Shattering Fist and golden scissors, though he said the Parliament of Flowers would revive him after at least a week.
• Su Ming crushed Plant Master's head and ordered Blackfire and Dex-Starr to help Deadpool and Harley against the growing monster army.
• Blackfire tested Deathstroke's reaction to criticism, then admitted she wanted to learn the captain's habits before joining his ship.
• Su Ming landed beside Jessica and Strangle devoured Witch Boy's summoned tentacles.
• Jessica revealed that her Tenth Metal disc protected her from mental spells and that she was firing Omega Beams, which burned Teekl's fur and frustrated Witch Boy.

Su Ming confronted Klarion the Witch Boy on the battlefield and considered why he had joined Circe, while Klarion explained that he acted to protect Witch Town and its people. The chapter recounted Klarion’s past, ending with Su Ming wondering what had prompted his recent change of allegiance.

• Su Ming told Jessica to stand behind him and addressed Klarion while Klarion held the frightened Teekl.
• Klarion said he had joined Circe because he had to protect Witch Town and its residents from powerful factions.
• Su Ming recalled how Witch Town’s Puritan Mages had built an underground refuge beneath New York and how Klarion had escaped their strict rules.
• Klarion had been captured by traffickers after reaching the surface, escaped with magic, and later befriended Teekl, an incarnation of a Lord of Chaos.
• Klarion returned to Witch Town during an Xitarian invasion, helped save it, and inherited the title of Preacher after the previous Preacher died.
• Klarion later clashed with Zatanna and Constantine over a subway expansion, but he and Zatanna eventually made peace; Su Ming wondered why Klarion had recently joined Circe.

Su Ming learned that Witch Boy had joined Circe’s campaign because the people of Witch Town wanted to establish Puritanism as the world’s only religion. Witch Boy accepted a fight despite opposing the cause, and Su Ming prepared to face him.

• Jessica tried to fly to Diana, but Su Ming redirected her to help Zatanna and sent her toward Deadpool’s defense line.
• Su Ming confronted Witch Boy, who said he could not retreat while Witch Town remained beneath New York.
• Witch Boy explained that Circe had promised Witch Town that Puritanism would become the world’s only doctrine of God.
• Witch Boy summoned tentacles through a portal and challenged Su Ming to a glorious battle.
• Su Ming raised Godslayer and cursed Witch Boy’s fellow townspeople.

Klarion transformed into the magic-immune He Rui Monster to fight Su Ming, but Deathstroke killed him with a single sword strike. Teekl attacked in grief and was knocked unconscious, while Su Ming turned toward Papa Midnite and Starfire's battle.

• Klarion transformed himself into a He Rui Monster and charged at Su Ming.
• Su Ming drew his sword and killed Klarion with one swift strike.
• Teekl leaped at Su Ming after seeing her master die, but he flicked her unconscious.
• Su Ming placed Teekl on Klarion's body and headed toward Papa Midnite and Starfire's battlefield.

Su Ming’s account explained Papa Midnite’s voodoo forces and the ruthless path that made him a powerful underworld Mage. The chapter ended with Constantine’s first major scheme against Papa Midnite setting him on a lifelong course of trickery.

• Su Ming deduced that Papa Midnite’s Voodoo Zombies appeared only at night, while Circe had created the malformed monsters among them.
• Papa Midnite grew up in poverty, learned voodoo from a shaman, killed his teacher, and sacrificed his sister’s soul to Azazel.
• Papa Midnite built a business linking Hell and the mortal world, earning wealth and influence through demon contracts and slave trafficking.
• Papa Midnite moved to New York, where he met Zatara and Constantine, though he initially had little contact with them.
• After Zatara died, Constantine lured the Cold Flame Society into attacking Papa Midnite’s bar, then made peace by teaching him new spells.
• Constantine discovered that tricking people felt good and continued down the path of becoming human trash.

Deathstroke took over Starfire’s fight with Papa Midnite, who immediately surrendered to the Justice League rather than risk facing him. Papa Midnite joined Deathstroke’s side and offered new information about Circe.

• Deathstroke told Starfire to step aside and took over the fight with Papa Midnite.
• Papa Midnite knelt and surrendered to the Justice League before Deathstroke attacked.
• Starfire questioned why Papa Midnite had fought her but surrendered to Deathstroke, and he said he could not afford to lose face on the streets.
• Deathstroke accepted Papa Midnite’s surrender and warned him that he lived only because nobody had paid for his life.
• Papa Midnite offered Deathstroke new information about Circe and a cigar, prompting Deathstroke to call him suited to being a Mage.

Su Ming questioned Papa Midnite about Circe and let him go, but Papa Midnite chose to surrender to the Justice League and hide in prison while keeping his options open. As he helped Zatanna restore the undead, he and Bobo quietly struck a deal over cigars.

• Su Ming asked Papa Midnite whether Circe was Hecate’s reincarnation, and Papa Midnite confirmed that she gave off the presence of a Goddess.
• Su Ming told Papa Midnite he could leave after disbanding the Voodoo Zombies, but Papa Midnite instead offered to help Zatanna and the others.
• Su Ming and Starfire flew over to watch Diana and the other women fight, while Papa Midnite went to Zatanna and began sending the undead back into the soil.
• Bobo recognized that Papa Midnite had arranged to be captured so he could stay safe regardless of who won the conflict.
• Papa Midnite gave Bobo a cigar, and they silently negotiated as Zatanna tossed Bobo off her shoulders.

After the battlefield quieted, Deadpool discovered Witch Boy was faking his death and tried to draw a smiley face on him. Deathstroke helped him finish the prank, while Circe remained unaware of Witch Boy’s deception and Deadpool turned his attention to her.

• The skeletons and Zombies returned underground after the gorilla went to ask Papa Midnite for liquor, leaving the heroes with only a few scattered enemies.
• Deadpool spotted Witch Boy’s corpse and tried to draw a smiley face on it, but Witch Boy grabbed his wrist and revealed that he had faked his death.
• Witch Boy and Deadpool struggled over the brush while keeping quiet so Circe would not notice Witch Boy was alive.
• Deathstroke replaced Wade’s brush with a marker, and Deadpool drew smiley faces on Witch Boy and the cat while Witch Boy continued to play dead.
• Deadpool told Su Ming he wanted to pursue Enchantress, but Su Ming kicked him away and sent him to talk with Papa Midnite and the others.

Cyborg kept Circe under relentless fire while Wonder Woman searched for a way through the enchantress’s defenses. With the Three-Moon Aspect still overhead and Mazikeen unable to act, Diana charged again, unaware of a brief flash in Circe’s eyes.

• Cyborg used sustained Cation Cannon fire to force Circe to dodge, following Deathstroke’s plan to suppress her and create an opening for Diana.
• Cyborg recalled how an earlier Deathstroke had tricked him into using an altered microwave, then dismantled him and used him as bait against the Teen Titans.
• Mazikeen told Diana she still could not act because the Three-Moon Aspect remained in the sky and Circe had become the dimension itself.
• Diana blocked Circe’s counterattack and saw Deathstroke and his cousin occupied with Witch Boy’s corpse.
• Diana charged Circe again, failing to notice the flash of light in the enchantress’s eyes.