American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1041 The Crisis of Raven's Four-Person Team's Destruction
"This is absolutely terrible!"

Seeing Clark's eyes glowing crimson, Loki knew that Clark must have also become an infected vampire.

Loki immediately pulled out his staff and pointed it at Clark.

He knew that once Clark turned to the dark side, he would show absolutely no mercy.

Meanwhile, Raven, who was fighting Firestorm and Hawkgirl, unleashed shadow energy to repel the two, but failed to notice the attack from Cobra, who had transformed into a "plastic man" behind her.

Raven's senses only caught the chilling scent of death the moment the fangs were about to touch her.

She turned around in horror, only to see a rapidly enlarging snake head and scarlet vertical pupils.

Shocked, Raven instinctively released chaos magic, gathering it behind her in an attempt to defend herself.

But clearly, the hastily released magic was breached by the cobra before it could take shape.

Just as Raven was in danger, a slender black figure appeared behind her like a ghost.

Tom, who suddenly appeared behind Raven, shielded her from a fatal snake bite.

"Pfft!!!"

The fangs were deeply embedded in the side of Tom's neck.

"Well--!"

Tom let out a suppressed groan of pain, his body trembling violently.

The excruciating pain and toxins spread instantly along the wound.

Tom's cheeks visibly flushed with an eerie bluish-black hue.

"Tom?!!"

Raven was shocked by what she saw.

She whirled around, and the chaotic magic erupted with intense purple light, blasting fiercely at the cobra.

"boom!"

The purple light struck the snake's body, sending its scales flying. The snake hissed as it flew backward, crashing into the wreckage of another burning car and sending sparks flying.

"Why?!"

Raven's words were somewhat incoherent. She quickly steadied Tom, whose body was swaying and whose poison was spreading rapidly. Her shocked eyes were fixed on his face, which was contorted with pain.

She was a little confused as to why it was Tom.

Her relationship with Tom was never very good.

The two were always at odds at Hogwarts, not only because they represented different houses.

Even in the very beginning of the Chamber of Secrets incident, Tom attempted to team up with another Tom Riddle to fight against her and Harry's trio.

How could he... use his own body to shield himself?!
Raven frantically tried to cover his wound, "No, no, this shouldn't have happened, you...you didn't have to do this, Tom."

Tom was breathing heavily, his voice hoarse and broken as he said, "Nothing... makes no sense... cough cough...!"

He coughed up a small mouthful of bloody froth with a blackish tinge, "It's just... because we're still family on the same side now."

His gaze swept over Raven's shocked face, and he said in a halting tone, "Moreover, your perception ability, compared to my father's soul perception, allows you to find him much faster."

The toxins gradually made his speech slurred.

"Tom! Hang in there!"

Raven looked at the rapidly spreading poison marks on Tom's neck in her arms, feeling both sad and moved.

She knew that if she couldn't stop the "toxin" from entering Tom's body, Tom would definitely be transformed into a venomous snake as well.

Raven tried to unleash chaos magic to suppress Tom's transformation, but the effect was minimal.

"Mark, hold off Groudon! Loki, stop Firestorm and Hawkgirl! Barbara, take cover!"

Raven quickly calmed herself down and gave orders to the group.

She quickly handed the unconscious Tom to Barbara, who was struggling to approach, and said, "Take him to the car!"

She was going to kill these guys herself, including that infected bastard Clark.

the other side.

"Come on, vampires!"

Mark roared, neither dodging nor avoiding, his fists meeting Gerd's massive fist head-on like pile drivers.

"boom!!!"

Like two high-speed trains colliding, the shockwave spread out instantly, blowing away the ash and rubble on the ground.

The asphalt beneath Mark's feet cracked and sank inch by inch. Gerud roared and was heavily knocked away by Mark.

Another battlefield.

Loki's figure instantly transformed into more than a dozen indistinguishable phantoms, simultaneously rushing towards Firestorm and Hawkgirl.

As an inherent element of the Frost Clan, the ice magic surged forth, and countless sharp ice shards rained down on the two of them.

At the same time, a smooth ice surface instantly formed on the ground, attempting to slow down the two people's movements.

The firestorm unleashed flames that collided with ice shards, bursting forth with large plumes of billowing mist.

The Eagle Girl used her wings to nimbly dodge, and smashed several phantoms with her mace.

Seeing that Hawkgirl, Firestorm, and Gorilla Grood couldn't suppress the group, Clark also took action.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto Barbara, who was struggling to move towards the pickup truck while holding Tom, and he slowly raised a hand.

When Raven saw this, her heart almost stopped.

She knew what that meant; the heat vision was enough to instantly obliterate Barbara and Tom.

"Do not--!!!"

Raven roared and unleashed her strongest chaos magic, a thick, dark purple energy beam like a roaring dragon hurtling towards Clark.

Clark tilted his head slightly, glancing at Raven with his scarlet eyes.

“Buzz——!!!”

Two crimson, blazing gazes, brimming with destructive energy, shot out from his eyes in an instant.

The heat vision precisely met Raven's Chaos Magic.

The moment Raven's Chaos Magic came into contact with the Heat Gaze, it was like a wave crashing against a reef, struck by pure, extreme physical energy.

Clark activated his super speed, dodging the magic while simultaneously unleashing his heat vision. Raven, unable to retract her power in time, had no choice but to hastily cast "Ironclad Charm".

She was struck as if by a heavy blow, let out a muffled groan, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and she staggered backward.

After defeating Raven, Clark immediately flew towards Barbara and the injured Tom.

"Get out of here—!!!"

Just as Clark attacked Barbara, a roar rang out.

Mark delivered a powerful punch to the vampire Grodd, sending him flying through the air, spitting blood.

Using that force, he rammed into Clark at an extreme speed.

Clark reacted quickly, giving Mark a heat glare.

"boom!!!"

Mark took a solid hit to the back.

"Ugh!!!"

A wail erupted from Mark's mouth.

The terrifying heat, enough to melt through steel, instantly acted on his superhuman body.

A dark red light flashed wildly, and Mark's suit on his back instantly vaporized, his skin emitting a terrifying sizzling sound, and a burnt smell filled the air.

Then, propelled by the immense kinetic energy, his body slammed into Barbara and Tom, sending the three of them tumbling a great distance before crashing heavily beside the pickup truck.

"mark!!!"

Seeing Mark and his two companions being knocked away by Clark, Raven's anger surged instantly.

Seeing Clark's bloodshot eyes preparing to refocus, Raven gritted her teeth and raised her hands.

"Go to hell, Kryptonian!"

Raven roared and unleashed powerful dark magic, carrying immense energy, which surged towards Clark with overwhelming force.

"boom!"

A deafening explosion rang out, and the spot where Clark stood was instantly engulfed in flames.

Just when everyone thought Clark had been defeated by Raven's shadow magic, Clark, whose uniform was damaged, slowly walked out of the flames.

Raven watched this scene in disbelief.

Clark's weakness has always been his low magic resistance, so how come he has such strong magic resistance after being transformed into a vampire?

Did Clark's strength increase after becoming a vampire?

Raven had a thought she herself couldn't believe.

"Hurry up, Raven."

Just as Raven was still in shock, Loki's stern shout rang in her ears.

The next second, Loki appeared next to Raven and grabbed her arm.

At this moment, Loki no longer had his usual carefree attitude, but instead wore an unusually serious expression.

"Take Tom and Mark with you, Barbara, and get out of here. I'll cover your retreat."

Loki shoved Raven toward the pickup truck, unleashing an unprecedented surge of magical power from his hands. "Jtunheimr's Wrath!"

After pushing Raven away, Loki chanted an ancient incantation with an unusually serious expression, and a cold wave suddenly erupted from him.

The ground instantly froze into deep blue ice, and countless ferocious ice spikes rose up like a forest, instantly piercing Clark, Firestorm, and Hawkgirl in the air, as well as Gerudo and the plastic man who had just wriggled back into his snake form on the ground.

The freezing temperatures from the ice magic even caused the flames of the burning car to dim instantly.

Knowing that Loki was buying her time, Raven gritted her teeth so hard they almost broke, her eyes filled with resentment.

She glanced at Mark, Tom, and Barbara, who were lying unconscious on the ground, and then at Loki in the storm of ice spikes.

Knowing she could no longer hesitate, Raven let out a painful cry. Chaos magic transformed into two enormous purple hands, scooping up the unconscious Mark and Tom from the ground, while grabbing the staggering Barbara and shoving her into the back seat of the pickup truck.

"Loki!!"

Raven called his name, got into the driver's seat, and started the engine with a bang.

The pickup truck's tires were spinning wildly on the ice, making a screeching sound.

The ice spike storm rapidly vaporized under Clark's thermal vision and the intense heat of the firestorm.

Loki's figure appeared unusually frail amidst the violent energy surge.

Despite the perilous situation, Loki wore a provocative smile and gave Clark the middle finger.

At the same time, more frost magic gathered in his hands.

"We're all bad guys, every Loki is, and always will be!"

Loki took a deep breath and muttered to himself.

Powerful magical energy gathered in his hands, increasing ever more.

Gritting his teeth, he combined his innate magical power with the magic he had learned at Hogwarts, and the greatest wizard of the Nine Realms unleashed the most powerful spell of his life.

"I am--"

While painfully gathering magic, Loki roared, "The First Wizard of the Nine Realms, son of Peter Patrick, heir to the Asgardian Palace, and the strongest heir to Patrick's Farm!"

The green magical energy in his hands unleashed a devastating force, blasting towards Clark and his companions.

"For the glorious mission, for my father."

The pickup truck finally broke free from the ice and roared into the thick dust like a wild horse.

Raven floored the accelerator, tears blurring her vision of the rapidly receding battlefield, swallowed by light, and Loki's final, resolute figure in the rearview mirror...

Raven gripped the steering wheel tightly, tears silently washing away the blood and soot from her cheeks, leaving two clear streaks.

In the rearview mirror, Mark lay on his back in the back seat, breathing heavily and weakly. His back was charred and festering, emitting a foul stench of burnt flesh.

Barbara stayed close to him, pressing the torn strips of cloth against the edges of the wound, trying to stop the oozing tissue fluid and dark red blood.

Tom was curled up on the other side, his face ashen, and around the holes left by the snake fangs on his neck, eerie black veins writhed slowly as if they were alive.

Feelings of self-blame gnawed fiercely at Raven's heart.

"Squeak!"

The pickup truck eventually stopped at a riverbank far from the highway, shrouded in thick smoke.

The river water was murky and viscous, floating with large amounts of unburnt ashes and withered leaves, emitting a nauseating stench of decay.

The shore was scorched and cracked mud, with a few bare, withered trees twisting and reaching towards the sky.

Raven pushed open the car door and stumbled, falling to her knees in the cold mud.

She dug her hands deep into the scorched earth, her shoulders heaving violently.

"It's my fault...it's all my fault..."

She choked back tears, “I was so arrogant. I thought…we could handle it. I ruined Loki…I ruined Tom…I ruined Mark…”

Raven felt she had let Peter down; her arrogance had harmed her brothers and caused Loki and Tom to sacrifice themselves for her.

"I'm too ashamed to face my father."

“Raven…”

Barbara saw Raven in pain in the car and felt a pang of pity.

After thinking for a moment, she endured her leg injury and exhaustion, and moved with difficulty to Raven's side.

After a while, once Raven had calmed down a bit, she spoke, "I know how you feel, Raven."

Barbara sat down, took a deep breath, and gazed at the surging river.

"I made mistakes in Gotham, before I became Batman's sidekick."

Her gaze fell upon the turbid, churning river, as if piercing through time and space. “During one operation, I was too eager to prove myself, too eager to seize a key target, and ignored my partner’s warnings. I recklessly fell into the clown’s trap.”

Her voice lowered, "As a result... my partner was seriously injured and paralyzed, and almost died... and I, too, had my spine broken by the Joker."

Raven stared at Barbara in a daze after hearing her words.

“I lay in my hospital bed feeling like a complete failure, a scoundrel. I didn’t even dare to visit my partner, or face Sheriff Gordon… my father.”

Barbara took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and continued, "It was him who sat by my bedside during my darkest hour, without uttering a single word of blame."

She turned her head, her gaze meeting Raven's eyes firmly. "'Barbbs,' he said, 'what's done is done. Blame and tears won't change the past. Their only purpose is to remind you how deep the pain was, and then... next time, do it back.'"

"Shall we do it again next time?"

Raven repeated the words to herself.

"Correct!"

Barbara nodded vigorously. "Instead of wallowing in self-blame, turn this pain and lesson into the power for the next action. Fight back hard against those bastards who hurt you and your partners, make them pay the price. That's the Gordon family way, and that's a warrior's way."

She placed her hand on Raven's cold hand. "Raven, you're not alone. Mark and Tom are still here, they need you. Loki is still in the hands of those monsters, waiting for us to rescue him. Mr. Peter... and so many missing people... they're all waiting. You can't fall here. Next time, come back, for them, and for yourself!"

Raven fell silent as Barbara offered her words of comfort.

After a while, she raised her head and looked at the dark sky in the distance, her eyes brightening slightly.

Yes, there's no point in wallowing in this.

Loki is waiting, Tom and Mark need medical help, and his father... is somewhere waiting for him to come and save him.

She took a deep breath, the thick, smoky air filling her lungs and clearing her confused mind.

She stood up, ready to thank Barbara.

Just then, there was a "whoosh".

A huge splash suddenly erupted in the murky river water.

A huge figure covered in dark green scales emerged from the water.

The opponent's figure was nearly three meters tall, like a giant crocodile walking upright.

Its thick tail dragged deep furrows through the mud, its scales shimmering with an eerie light, and its ferocious crocodile snout opened to reveal dagger-like, white, interlocking fangs.

Raven immediately recognized him as Killer Croc, Gotham's supervillain!

"careful!"

Raven reacted immediately, instantly shielding Barbara behind her.

Chaos magic erupted from her palm, condensing into a rapidly spinning ball of dark purple energy.

Raven's eyes were fixed on her opponent. Having just suffered heavy losses in an ambush, her nerves were already stretched to the limit, and any threat had to be eliminated immediately.

However, something unexpected happened.

The killer crocodile did not pounce on the two as expected.

His vertical pupils swept warily over Raven and the battered pickup truck behind her, then glanced at Barbara, who was on high alert.

Then he slowly raised his thick arm, not in an attacking stance, but carefully unfolding his claws covered with a thick layer of keratin.

In his palm, he was tightly clutching something—a transparent glass medicine bottle no bigger than a thumb.

The bottle has no label and contains a miniature city model.

Raven and Barbara were stunned by what they saw.

The magical energy that Raven had been gathering momentarily froze due to this strange situation.

What does it mean?
surrender?

Or is it some kind of trap?

Just as the two groups were locked in a strange standoff.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound rang out from his palm.

Immediately afterwards, a faint blue flash of lightning rippled through the air.

A soft buzzing sound came from the air.

Raven and Barbara felt as if the space in front of them had been distorted for a very brief moment, like a pebble being thrown into a calm lake.

The next second, a figure appeared in the air without warning and then rapidly grew larger.

The guy who transformed from a dwarf into a normal person was wearing a high-tech red and blue uniform, with a silver antenna on his helmet gleaming faintly.

He raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the astonished Raven and Barbara, then quickly glancing at the unconscious Mark and Tom in the back seat of the pickup truck, before finally looking at the killer crocodile's massive head.

"Well done, Wellen."

The enlarged creature, its voice booming through the loudspeaker, nodded to Killer Croc, then turned its gaze to Raven and Barbara.

"You must be Raven, right? I'm Atom. It's nice to meet you. Killer Croc is one of us, so don't worry about him attacking you."

(End of this chapter)