Dark Knights of Steel#12(2023)

Amanda Waller tells Protex that just before dawn, a secret group under her command will extinguish the fires outside the castle; allowing the Martians to kill the Amazons and the Kingdom of Storms armies, and the leaders of all three kingdoms. In return, the Martians will spare the people and soldiers of the Lands of El and promise to leave the kingdom untouched and under her rule as they conquer the rest of the world, a deal that they have apparently had for many years. Meanwhile at the Castle of El; Harley, Lois and John Constantine present a joint plan to their rulers to destroy the Martians. Just before sunrise, Waller's henchman Captain Cold brings down the bonfires around the Amazon camp with his ice magic, and the Martians charge the breach in the form of a cloud of smoke. Dinah, who is with the Amazons, disperses the cloud with a scream, forcing the Martians to take solid form and fight the Amazons. The Amazons hold the line and a messenger runs to the Castle to tell them the attack has begun. Bruce, Kal-El, Diana and Zala head out to face them. Before they leave, J'onn tells Bruce that he wishes to live his life as Alfred and resumes his human form. The four royals fly into the middle of the battle and attack Protex, then draw him and the Martians away to Mount Kristoff, the volcano which Lara and Jor-El saved the kingdom from seventeen years ago. When all the Martians have surrounded the volcano, the leaders put their advisor's plan into action. Anissa and Jennifer trigger the volcano to erupt, dousing the Martians in flaming lava, while Jacob prevents the flames reaching the castle by conjuring a downpour of rain. Zala douses herself and the others in pitch and sets them alight; they battle the Martians while on fire, burning their enemies while being too strong to burn themselves. Diana finds the Martian who murdered her mother and kills him, telling him that he will forever be a cautionary tale for those who would dare to harm an Amazon queen. Zala asks Diana not to kill the few surviving Martians, as they are helpless and beaten, and Lara banishes them to the Phantom Zone. Back at the Castle, Waller and Deadshot return, their plot foiled. They pass Alfred, who needed to stay behind as the lava would have killed him too, in the hallway. Although Waller's thoughts are magically warded, he is able to read Deadshot's thoughts and discover their trechery. He tries to take Waller to the dungeons, but when he touches her he bursts into flames. He calls out to Bruce telepathically for help and Bruce, feeling the pain of his friend, flies for the first time and races to the castle. He arrives just in time to see Alfred die, before he can tell Bruce what he has discovered. Waller suddenly runs Deadshot through and tells Bruce that she just learned he was a traitor working for the aliens. A week later, the three kingdoms sign a treaty to formally ally together. Lara asks Bruce to sign the treaty on behalf of the kingdom, telling him that now he knows the truth about his parentage he should rule, as he is both a Wayne and an El. However, Bruce again refuses and tells them that he plans to leave and explore the world in order to discover who he really is. Kal-El tells him that when he is ready to come back, he will be honored to follow the Bat-King. The three queens sign the treaty, uniting the kingdoms into "The League".