Central City.
The once bustling streets have now become a hell of blood and fire.
The sky was stained an ominous gray-black by thick smoke, and the pungent smell of burning mingled with the rusty stench of blood, seeping into the lungs of every survivor.
The Atlanteans ' water cannons blasted the glass curtain walls of skyscrapers into a hail of sharp blades, while the Amazons warriors of Themyscira relentlessly reaped the spoils on the ground.
Their battle cries mingled with the screams of civilians, creating a final, tragic elegy.
The resistance from the Central City Police Department was utterly crushed within the first hour of the battle, and the brave officers, along with their patrol cars, became twisted steel and bloody remains in the streets.
Nora Allen staggered through the ruins, her heart pounding in her chest.
That phone call to her son was her last hope, but as the phone was smashed by flying shards of rock, that hope was shattered as well.
A sharp stone shard cut the back of her hand, and warm blood dripped through her fingers, but she was completely unaware.
At the street corner, a little girl with pigtails sat slumped on the ground, a deep, bone-revealing wound on her knee. She cried blankly, her family nowhere to be seen.
Nora barely thought; her survival instinct was overwhelmed by her stronger maternal instincts.
She rushed over, scooped the little girl into her arms, shielded her with her frail body, and continued her journey through the labyrinth of death.
A burning car fell from the sky and crashed heavily onto the spot they had just run through, exploding into a huge fireball.
Nora clutched the child tightly, hiding behind a section of broken wall, breathing heavily.
Just then, she stopped in her tracks.
In the plaza not far ahead, an Amazon Warrior wielding a longsword grinned as she pulled the blade from the chest of a fallen man.
She flicked the blood off her sword, looked around, and searched for her next target.
That posture didn't resemble that of a soldier; it was more like that of a farmer weeding in his own backyard—casual yet efficient.
Nora's heart sank.
She knew that, holding an injured child, they could not possibly slip away from this female soldier's nose.
A resolute idea took shape in her mind.
She must distract this devil.
Nora gently placed the trembling girl in her arms behind a relatively hidden pile of rubble, and gestured with her eyes for her to be quiet.
Then, she took a deep breath, picked up a fist-sized rock from beside her feet, and threw it with all her might in the direction of the Amazon Warrior.
The stone traced a weak parabola through the air and landed a few meters away from the female soldier's feet with a soft thud.
Snap...
The Amazon Warrior turned around at the sound and saw Nora was dressed in rags and covered in dust.
She licked the blood splattered on her cheek and gave a cruel smile.
"Another prey." She whispered in an ancient language, a tone that was a mixture of arrogance and murderous intent.
She didn't rush forward immediately, but instead took slow, leisurely steps with a playful, cat-and-mouse attitude, dragging her longsword across the ground, leaving a trail of ear-piercing sparks.
Nora turned and ran, her heart pounding in her throat.
She dared not turn back, and could only desperately squeeze out the last bit of strength from her body, praying that the child would be safe and sound.
However, when she ran across a street corner, thinking she had temporarily shaken off her pursuers, she was devastated to find that several other Amazon Warrior had appeared around her.
They emerged from the shadows, closing in on her and completely blocking all her escape routes.
The female warrior in the lead was the same one who had just toyed with her.
Nora stopped, her chest heaving, her face covered in sweat and dust.
She picked up a sharp piece of gravel from the ground, gripped it tightly in her hand, and aimed it at the tall female warriors.
"You devils!" Her voice trembled with fear, but every word was crystal clear, " God will never forgive you!"
The leading female warrior burst into laughter as if she had heard the funniest joke, her laughter filled with contempt.
" God?" She stopped laughing, tilting her head to look at the unarmed mortal. "We are not under his jurisdiction."
After she finished speaking, she exchanged a glance with her companion. No words were needed; the killing intent had already solidified in the air.
Four longswords, gleaming with a cold light, were simultaneously raised high, their blades aimed at the tiny figure within the encirclement.
Just as the sword was about to fall—
A golden bolt of lightning instantly tore through the dim battlefield!
"Boom!"
The air exploded with a loud bang, and the violent airflow whipped up all the dust and debris from the ground.
The Amazon Warrior didn't even see what happened; they only felt an irresistible force on their wrists, followed by the cracking sound of bones breaking.
"Ughhhhh--!"
The longswords in their hands flew out and clattered to the ground.
The excruciating pain caused them to scream in agony, their arms twisted at bizarre angles.
A figure in a dark red uniform had appeared in front of Nora Allen at some point, shielding her firmly behind him.
Barry Allen has arrived.
From the perspective of the Speed Force, everything just now appeared to be moving at a slower pace, almost as if it were still.
He saw the resolve in his mother's eyes, and he saw the four long swords that were about to take her life.
The results of Thomas Wayne's Hell training were now clearly evident.
He's no longer the soft-hearted the Flash who just pushes enemies away.
He still couldn't bring himself to kill.
But he felt no guilt whatsoever about making these executioners unable to hold their swords again.
His movements were both incredibly fast and incredibly precise.
With precise fingertips, they puncture the nerves in the wrist, instantly numbing the opponent; with a side slash of the palm, they shatter the wrist bones with Speed Force; and finally, with a twist, they completely cripple their joints.
The entire process was smooth and fluid, without a single unnecessary movement.
He didn't even glance at the female warriors groaning on the ground; all his attention was focused on the woman behind him for whom he was willing to give everything.
Nora Allen stared blankly at the tall, suddenly appearing figure in front of her.
His dark red uniform exuded power, with golden lines flowing around it like living lightning.
His mere presence exuded a reassuring, absolute sense of security.
She couldn't see his face clearly, but the familiar outline of his chin instantly struck the softest spot in her memory.
Nora's lips trembled slightly as she tentatively asked in a soft, almost dreamlike, uncertain voice:
" Barry? Is that you?"