Seeing this, the Witch Queen's expression grew increasingly grim.
She discovered that Peter's glowing body actually blocked her magic's detection and influence!
The Witch Queen could clearly feel that her Deformation Curse had experienced a momentary delay.
On the other side, Peter clenched his fists. Upon realizing that the opponent's magic was affected by Heavenly God Energy, he felt much more at ease.
It seems that Celestial Power has some restraining effect on magic.
Although it couldn't completely ignore magic, it was equivalent to adding magic resistance to himself, preventing the Witch Queen's magic from running rampant.
Enduring the spatial restraint on his body, he slowly looked up and saw the Sphinx, who had left earlier, suddenly returning.
After forcefully breaking free from the Witch Queen's magical spatial control, he instantly moved to Zatanna's side and pushed her out abruptly.
Zatanna, in pain, had no idea that Peter would push her away.
Before she could react after falling to the ground, her body was snatched by a mouth.
The Sphinx, transformed from origami, carried Zatanna and left the scene with lightning speed, jumping out of the window.
Watching Peter push her out and stay behind to fight alone, Zatanna's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Crash!"
Glass shattered as the Sphinx, carrying Zatanna, jumped into the air.
A torrential downpour instantly fell from the sky, accompanied by lightning and thunder.
After flying for a while, the Sphinx's speed gradually slowed, eventually stopping and lying on the ground.
"Child, I believe you will choose the correct door and ultimately find the truth."
The Sphinx said to her, its voice fading.
"What door? Wait..."
Zatanna got off the Sphinx, staring in shock at the melting Sphinx.
"You're disintegrating, Sphinx!"
Watching the paper Sphinx gradually melt, Zatanna sadly reached out, wanting to grasp it.
"Child, what appears strong is not always so; such is the nature of all things. Sometimes, a Sphinx made of paper cannot withstand raindrops."
The Sphinx's voice grew fainter, "Sometimes, a Witch cannot withstand a little girl."
As the last sentence was spoken, the Sphinx's body was completely dissolved by the rain.
Zatanna knelt on the ground, reaching out and catching a piece of paper that fell from the Sphinx's body, tears instantly streaming down her face.
"No, no, Uncle Patrick is still fighting, and Burkes is waiting for me to save him. I can't cry here."
Zatanna immediately stood up, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"The Sphinx said I would open the correct door. I have to keep going."
Although she was drenched in rain and felt uncomfortable all over, she still tried to stand up and continue walking forward.
After walking for an unknown period, Zatanna suddenly arrived in front of a Black Gate.
Thinking of the Realm of the Dead that Burkes had mentioned, where answers sometimes lay.
Zatanna hesitated, wondering if she should take this risk.
But as soon as she thought of Peter being in danger for her sake, she gritted her teeth, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
Mr. Patrick isn't afraid of Death, so I can't be afraid either!
"Creak!"
The door was pushed open, and Mark stood at the entrance, hesitating.
After getting Zatanna's home address from the Dead Rabbit Gang, he immediately rushed here.
Upon entering, he saw the incredible layout of the room before him.
Countless stairs extended in all directions, leading to different doors.
After a moment of hesitation, Mark, unaware of the situation, decided to casually enter a room to check it out.
Pushing open the door, he entered the room.
The interior of the room was pitch black, without any light.
"Click!"
Then, a dazzling light appeared.
Mark was astonished to find a mirror appearing before him.
A scene was playing out in the mirror.
Reporters pressed their shutters, taking photos of a blonde man.
He wore a uniform identical to his own, his hair slicked back, and a smile similar to his own on his lips.
Mark looked at him in shock.
Although the man was much older than him, Mark immediately recognized him as himself!
No, this might be his other self from a dream.
In the mirror, an interview seemed to be taking place.
The reporter said to the blonde man, "First, Homelander, congratulations on being named Time Magazine's Superhero of the Year. How does it feel to receive such an honor?"
"Don't get me wrong, your magazine is great, and I'm honored, of course, but honors like this, let's just say, being on a magazine isn't what motivates me to get up in the morning. Think about it, if I don't save people, who will? Without me, the World would burn, literally. Blood and Fire everywhere."
The reporter nodded and continued to ask, "As such an influential person, what do you hope people take from this honor? What do you hope to inspire from the depths of people's hearts?"
Homelander, with a refreshing smile, replied, "I just hope to get a little respect. You know, lately, people have been full of hatred and discrimination towards superheroes, and... baseless legal accusations. I hope this makes people stop and think about the sacrifices we make for them. Maybe they'll be inspired to become heroes in their own small way."
"What do you like to do for leisure? How does America's greatest superhero de-stress? Does he have days off?"
Mark replied, "No, Terrorists and bank robbers don't take breaks, so why should I? I like to stop by Coney Island on the way home for those incredible hot dogs—pure U.S. flavor. I also really like creamy milkshakes."
The reporter continued to ask, "Tell us about your family, Homelander."
Homelander took a deep breath and said, "I love my family. You know, I grew up on a farm with Marks father. I was his only son, and I had a wonderful childhood. Do you know what my first birthday present was?"
Homelander said with a smile, "It was a superhero uniform, exactly like the one I'm wearing now. And my dad took me to amusement parks and museums. Back then, the amusement park had high school band performances at six in the evening, and there was a band called 'Happy Han Barbershop.' I remember it clearly."
"We also went to museums, filled with collections from Old Mike, a local librarian and amateur historian. They included restaurant menus from the 1890s, lumberjacks' cable poles, axes, and peaveys from the 80s, and toys from the 1920s—very cool!"
"I love my dad!"
Listening to his other self in the mirror, or rather, his self from another World, speaking eloquently, Mark was instantly shocked.
Isn't this his own experience?
This guy is definitely lying!
Mark immediately judged that the other party was lying based on their subtle facial expressions.
But the other party's happy expression was definitely not feigned.
Why would he know his experiences?
While Mark was in disarray, Homelander in the mirror continued to speak eloquently.
"But I don't like celebrating birthdays."
The reporter asked him, "Why?"
"Because it means Marks father is another year older. He once said: 'Only as you grow older do you realize that each birthday is like a turnstile, taking you further and deeper, until suddenly one day, birthdays become irrelevant to possibilities and are thoroughly reduced to inevitabilities.'"
At this point, Homelander, being interviewed, looked out the window with a somewhat complex expression.
Hearing this, Mark was utterly horrified.
He quickly thought of the dreams he often had.
He often dreamed of being tortured in a laboratory, surrounded by coldness and loneliness.
Could those not be dreams, but what his other self in the mirror had experienced?
If he could dream of him, would he also dream of himself and thus know his experiences?
Mark was so shaken by this absurd and incredible thought that he took a step back.
What kind of existence is this room?
Why would it show him these things?
At this moment, the interview in the mirror was coming to an end.
Homelander, somewhat lost in thought, said to the reporter, "Sometimes, I often dream of a Black Gate. If I just open this door, I can see Marks father. Sometimes I feel he's within reach, and sometimes he feels as distant as another World."
"Creak!"
On the other side, Zatanna finally mustered the courage to push open the Black Gate.
The room was pitch black; nothing could be seen.
It was so silent, as if all existence in the World was isolated outside.
Feeling the boundless darkness, Zatanna suddenly remembered the song her father used to sing to her.
"~On a certain street, there's a house, and in that house, a door. We all must eventually enter this door, but don't enter too soon. What awaits in the darkness? Solitude? Coldness? Merciless darkness? No, what awaits there is..."
Zatanna sang the song her father taught her to encourage herself.
As she sang the last line, a light suddenly appeared.
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice continued her song, "...Love!"
Then, Zatanna's mother, smiling and wearing a White gown, appeared before her.
"Mo-Mother?!"
Zatanna looked at her in disbelief.
This was the radiant woman from the poster, gradually overlapping with the image of her mother in her memory.
Zatanna's eyes immediately filled with tears, and she rushed forward.
Embracing her mother, Zatanna instantly burst into tears.
There was only one sofa in the room. After crying for a while, Zatanna wiped her tears and asked her mother, "Mom, am I dead?"
"No, you are not. Only the master of the Secret House can enter this Black Gate alive, Zatanna."
Zatanna asked doubtfully, "But Burkes said that dad is the master of the Secret House."
Her mother explained to her, "The house chooses its own master. It chose you when you were very young. To protect you, we made everyone believe your father was the master, including Burkes."