The two figures broke through the clouds and nded softly on a patch of wild grass just outskirts of Salem City.

  The soil beneath their feet was still damp from the morning dew, and the distant skyline of the city was faintly visible through the mist.

  Viktor stumbled slightly as he nded, not because his injuries hadn't healed, but because of the sudden feeling of frustration rising in his chest. He raised a hand to rub his forehead, his gaze sweeping over the distant city.

  The information Batman gave was about Salem City, but this was a whole city, not some tiny secret hideout with just one building.

  Doctor Fate was always hard to track and preferred to stay hidden.

  "What's the matter? Trouble?"

  Diana nded beside him, her voice ced with a hint of mockery.

  She realized that he had been eagerly making pns during the journey, but she hadn't expected that this guy hadn't even considered the most basic question: "How to find the person accurately."

  He turned his head to gnce at her, not denying his oversight.

  "You're right, I didn't think it through. I was just thinking of getting here first and figuring it out."

  He paused, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

  "How about this? I'll go into the city, pretend to be a supervilin, flip over a few cars, and shout a couple of times, and when people start shouting for help, Doctor Fate should come out to check, right?"

  "You dare!"

  Diana reached out and tapped his head, her tone tinged with helplessness. She knew he was joking, of course, but the idea of using small destruction still made her furrow her brow.

  "Alright, no more jokes."

  He rubbed the spot she had tapped, dropping his pyful expression, and his tone became serious.

  "Ms. Prince, I need your help."

  Diana raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

  "You're an Amazon princess, and you have divine power. Perhaps your presence might catch Doctor Fate's attention."

  He expined that this was the most reliable approach he could think of.

  Diana pondered for a moment and then nodded.

  "That could work. Doctor Fate's artifact and divine power come from the same source. He might be able to sense my magical bracelets."

  She took him to an empty spot at the entrance of the city, then raised her arms.

  The ancient magical bracelets on her wrists clinked together lightly, emitting a crisp and pleasant sound. The sound waves spread out, with a faint golden light almost invisible to the naked eye, rippling through the air like water toward the heart of the city.

  Then, the magical energy in the air began to ripple slightly, and the mist in the distance cleared a little.

  The two of them waited quietly for a moment.

  Just when Viktor thought this pn wasn't working, a sudden burst of golden light appeared in the sky.

  A golden tower slowly floated in mid-air. The tower was covered in runes, glowing with a divine radiance under the sun, slowly rotating about 20 meters above the ground.

  Then, a figure flew out from the ripples on the golden tower.

  The figure wore a deep blue suit with a golden cloak, but what caught the most attention was the golden helmet on his head, completely obscuring his face, with a faint magical aura flowing along its edge.

  It was Doctor Fate.

  Viktor stared at the smooth helmet with no openings for observation and couldn't help but wonder in his mind.

  'Isn't it uncomfortable wearing that thing on your head? Doesn't it feel stuffy?'

  Just as his thoughts wandered, Doctor Fate slowly descended in front of the two of them. His voice came through the helmet, sounding ethereal and full of authority, as if it transcended time and space.

  "Daughter of Zeus, Diana Prince... Nabu greets you."

  "I would prefer you call me Diana... or Wonder Woman."

  Diana frowned, clearly not fond of the title "Daughter of Zeus."

  Doctor Fate didn't argue. He slowly turned toward Viktor, and his tone suddenly grew cold, filled with open hostility.

  "Half-demon, leave this nd."

  Before his words even finished, Doctor Fate waved his hand, and a faint golden magical light gathered in front of him, forming a cross-like symbol.

  The Symbol of Ankh.

  The magic forming the symbol radiated a strong suppressive aura, rushing down on Viktor with the clear intent to warn him to leave or fight.

  "What do you mean by that?"

  Diana's expression changed, and she instinctively stepped in front of him, raising her arm to block the magical light.

  "Doctor Fate, he is my student, not some half-demon! Please expin yourself. Why are you treating him this way?"

  "Student?"

  Doctor Fate scoffed with disdain, his voice dripping with contempt.

  "Daughter of Zeus, you can't even see the true nature of this half-demon?"

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

  "In the eyes of Naboo, the resentment and bloodlust surrounding this boy are thicker than most demons in the depths of Hell! A 'half-demon' who can make Naboo angry must have sughtered billions of intelligent beings!"

  "Billions?"

  Diana's body shook, and the arm she had raised to protect him stiffened slightly. She turned around to look at Viktor in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

  She knew the level of Nabu's power, and such an existence would never lie.

  But after spending these past few days with Viktor, all she had seen was a young man trying to leave his past behind and live a good life.

  How could he be the demon who had sughtered billions of intelligent beings?

  She took a deep breath, turned around, and stared at him, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

  "Viktor, is... is what he said... true?"

  Viktor remained silent. He knew all along that his past couldn't be completely hidden.

  After arriving on Earth, Viktor had been honest about coming from Viltrum and about the cruelty of that pnet, but he never mentioned the bloodshed on his hands.

  It wasn't that he didn't want to say it, but it was that he couldn't. The scale of such sughter could not simply be described as "mistakes" or "repentance."

  In the entire career of every superhero in the Justice League, the number of lives lost by all the supervilins they've encountered combined probably doesn't even come close to the number on his hands.

  He couldn't defend himself because what Doctor Fate said was the truth.

  The civilizations conquered by Viltrum, the weak species they used as "trial targets"—tens of billions, even hundreds of billions of lives—were either directly or indirectly killed by him and the other Viltrumites.

  "He was born on Viltrum, a civilization that takes pride in conquest and battle."

  Diana watched Viktor's silent figure, already knowing the answer in her heart, but she couldn't help but defend him.

  "He didn't have a choice! He was forced to be part of it, and he must have been suffering too!"

  "Self-deception."

  Doctor Fate interrupted her coldly without mercy.

  "If he had even the slightest remorse for the sughter of his past, the bloodlust and aura of guilt surrounding him would not be so thick. From the perspective of soul magic, his soul is already soaked in blood with no possibility for redemption."

  Diana's expression turned serious, and her gaze locked onto him again, her eyes filled with the st trace of hope, waiting for him to defend himself.

  Even if he just said something, anything, she would choose to believe him for now.

  However, Viktor merely stared at her, and his eyes, which had always been emotionless, were now filled with exhaustion.

  He sighed softly.

  That sigh said everything.

  Diana's heart sank, and she didn't press further. Instead, she turned back to Doctor Fate and spoke in a low voice.

  "We came here to ask for your help. He has been targeted by the Goddess of Strife, Eris, and has obtained her artifact, the Golden Apple. We need to find a way to break the curse and deal with Eris's revenge when she comes back."

  "Impossible."

  Doctor Fate rejected without a second thought.

  "Nabu will never help a half-demon whose hands are stained with blood. I will keep my eyes on you until you leave Salem City, and I won't allow you to stay here."

  The Ankh lit up again, and this time it even created a powerful gust of wind. Viktor stood in the howling wind, gave Doctor Fate a slight nod, and spoke calmly.

  "Sorry for disturbing you. I'll leave now."

  Afterward, Viktor no longer lingered, turning and flying off in the direction away from Salem City. Diana watched his retreating figure. She hesitated for a moment, and then followed.

  In mid-air, after struggling for several seconds, she suddenly increased her speed, flew in front of him, and blocked his path, her eyes filled with complicated emotions as she gazed at him.

  "Viktor, please tell me, under what circumstances did you need to kill so many people?"