"This is where the Mother Box is," Queen Hippolyta said as she led the group into the temple.
Shin's gaze immediately locked onto the exquisite box, its surface covered in intricate mysterious symbols, pulsating with a strange energy. Heavy iron chains, engraved with ancient Amazonian runes, bound it in place.
He could feel the power radiating from it—unstable, restless, surging like a tide.
The Amazons had done their best to suppress the Mother Box using their magical artifacts, but the energy fluctuations within it were still growing stronger.
Unlike Atlantis, where advanced technology could at least analyze and stabilize the Mother Box's energy, and unlike the Mother Box protected by humans, which had partially merged with Cyborg, creating an unusual link.
The Amazonian Mother Box was the most dangerous of them all. Magic and science were almost always incompatible, and both have their own intricacies.
The Amazons had no way to fully understand or control the Mother Box, all they could do was forcefully suppress it.
Shin's sharp eyes scanned the warriors surrounding the temple, all standing in full battle armor, their expressions solemn and their weapons ready for war.
Yet, something was off. Batman noticed it too.
"Where's Diana?" he asked, scanning the crowd.
She should be here.
Diana was the strongest warrior on Paradise Island, a demigod born with divine blood. Her combat power alone was equal to an entire army of Amazons.
At such a critical moment, her absence was inexplicable.
At Batman's question, Queen Hippolyta's expression darkened.
"Diana is gravely injured and is currently receiving treatment," she said.
"What?!" Batman's usually calm voice carried a rare hint of alarm.
"Did the Parademons do this?"
Even though Gotham's most notorious criminals had put up a fight against the demon-like invaders, none had been powerful enough to inflict serious harm on Wonder Woman.
Hippolyta shook her head.
"It wasn't the demons."
"When the Mother Box first began to activate, Diana tried to suppress it with her divine power."
"But then—"
"Two red beams of light shot out from the Mother Box. The entire squad of guards that had been protecting the artifact was instantly obliterated and Diana herself was left critically wounded.
Shin's expression changed instantly.
"Wait," he said quickly. "Did those red beams bend midair?"
Hippolyta gave him a sharp look and nodded.
"Yes. They seemed to track their targets. And those struck by the beams weren't killed—they were completely erased."
Shin took a slow breath.
There was no doubt. It was the Omega Beams.
Batman caught the look on Shin's face. "You know what it is?" he asked.
Shin nodded grimly.
"If I'm not mistaken, that was an attack from the ruler of Apokolips himself."
"That was Darkseid's Omega Beam."
"The Omega Effect is one of the most lethal attacks in the universe," Shin explained.
"It's not just energy—it's a power that can dismantle atoms itself."
Even Superman, for all his strength, had barely survived a fully-powered Omega Beam.
And yet…
Diana was still alive.
That alone was nothing short of a miracle.
"I need to see her," Shin said immediately. "I have healing abilities—I might be able to help."
Hippolyta hesitated briefly, then nodded.
"If you can heal my daughter," she said, her voice softer, "then please… come with me."
The sight that greeted them was shocking.
Diana lay on a stone slab, her skin deathly pale.
A massive hole gaped in her chest.
Both of her wrists were shattered, and what remained of her silver bracers had been burned away.
If not for the Amazonian healing magic and her demigod vitality, she would have long since perished.
Shin's eyes darkened.
He could picture what had happened.
The moment the Omega Beam erupted from the Mother Box, the entire Amazonian guard had been wiped out before they could even react.
Diana had blocked the beam with her bracers, but—
The Omega Beams had overloaded the divine metal.
Her arms were blown apart, the bracers shattered, and the remaining energy had pierced her chest.
Shin slowly extended his right hand, channeling a flood of Yang chakra into her body.
The green herbs covering her wounds trembled as the restorative energy surged through her.
Before their eyes, the gaping hole in Diana's chest began to close.
The torn blood vessels reconnected, the ruptured lungs mended, and color returned to her pale skin.
Her breathing, once shallow and weak, grew stronger.
A soft glow surrounded her as if the divine power within her was responding to the healing.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open.
The first thing she saw was a crowd of familiar faces.
"Diana, my daughter!"
Queen Hippolyta was the first to rush forward.
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