Squelch!
Blood splattered on the floor, dyeing it green yet again. At this point, Aurelie was practically a green version of herself several minutes ago.
Kara, who fought alongside her, sported a similar look.
It wasn't their fault, there were just too many of them.
The numbers of Parademons on Apokolips were endless. Obtained from the world's Darkseid's avatars had conquered with the Motherboxes, these demonic creatures were nothing more than souls enslaved to the will of their makers.
After destroying hundreds of thousands of worlds... Their numbers were inestimable. Even when they were split between each Avatar conquering the multiverse, the numbers in Apokolips were beyond the entire population of earth.
A powerful, obedient army completely unafraid of death. The kind Orm previously lusted after.
Bang!
Kara punched one away and released her heat vision for the Nth time today. The exhaustion from her cells had already begun to set in.
Aurelie was no different. As she once said, the number of Parademons on Apokolips was enough to drown a new God with their sheer numbers.
Unless you escaped or had power on the same level of Darkseid, these creatures would exhaust you to death.
Apokolips wasn't home to a yellow sun. Kara was unable to recharge her cells, and fighting such a protracted battle with a seemingly endless army would ultimately lead to their defeat.
Then.... The commotion that occurred next frightened both women's souls.
The giant figure of Darkseid expanding outside the planet made their hearts sink to the bottom of their stomachs.
"Know this... You cannot defeat me….".
His voice rumbled throughout the entire planet. The sheer display of his size was an impressive spectacle in their eyes. Enough to make much give up resistance to fight.
However, the giant figure of Darkseid shrunk rapidly the next second, followed by a giant booming sound and a blast of energy that swept through the area like a tidal wave.
Everything on Apokolips, every building and structure that wasn't already destroyed due to the planet's crumbling state, was shattered to nothing but debris.
Rocks broke apart, and the black earth was uprooted. Parademons in the skies were ripped to shreds and the panicking Apokolips citizens were blown apart.
Kara and Aurelie were swept away by the storm of energy that swept across the planet, damaging it further.
For the planet that had lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, this was the final straw.
And so with that, Apokolips was unable to hold on.
The planet began to fall apart.
Pillars of bright red, flaming energy emerged from the planet core, shooting through the ground and ascending to the sky.
One…. Two…. Three..... This marked the end for Apokolips.
Bang!
Kara smashed against the earth and tumbled rapidly.
She dug her fingers into the ground to stabilize her rolling figure as the energy storm swept past her.
Then.....
Boom!
A pillar of fire erupted from the floor below her, blowing her away in the process.
Kara gained her balance in the air.
The state of the planet quickly fell into her eyes and ears, causing her heart to quickly grow unsettled.
The pillars of fire bursting from the ground…. The screams of the citizens that fell in her ears.
The world was coming to an end. A situation she was all too familiar with.
"Arghhhhh!" Once again, her powers began to go haywire.
Her unsettled heart and mind began to play the scenes she last wanted to remember at this moment.
It was almost the same as it was that day.
The day she was put on that ship and thrown into outer space, watching as her planet grew red and ultimately exploded.
"No!" The destruction of Apokolips, it reminded her of Krypton's destruction.
"Damnit!"
Seeing Apokolips nearing its end, Aurelie's face was incredibly unsightly.
"I have to get out of here".
She hurriedly reached towards her waist but touched nothing of significance.
It dawned on her then. Amari had taken away her teleporter and used it to bring them here. This realization caused her face to darken considerable, and she cussed through gritted teeth.
That asshole! He told them not to get killed while he was gone, but now they would truly die if this planet was destroyed, and they were still on it.
Aurelie watched helplessly as the pillars of fire burst towards their direction with a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
So this was the end, huh?
The pillars of fire emerged, and Aurelie was enveloped in the fires of Apokolips's destruction.
Streaks of red emerged across the entire planet, multiplying rapidly in the course of its destruction..... Until...
Boom!
The planet exploded, sending a shockwave, reaching the farthest parts of this star system.
"Huh?" Amari turned around just to be hit in the face with the aftermath of Apokolips's destruction.
"Oh! Looks like I got carried away".
His eyes narrowed upon realizing what he had done.
Apokolips was home to billions of lives. Eighty percent of them were Parademons and the other 19.9 percent were lowlies. Only 0.1 made up the actual New God population, but still.
That could all be cast aside. But most importantly..... Kara and Aurelie were still on that planet.
In that case..... Just fix it.
The thought blew past his mind and he took action on it.
Stretching his arm forward towards the ruins of what was once a great planet, his hand lit up with a blue glow as he willed for its resurrection.
'Reverse'
Time froze for a split second as everything ceased movement. Then, it all started to move backwards.
The scattered parts of the planet moved in reverse, and the displaced rocks began to reform the shape of a planet. The streaks of red appeared again and gradually faded as time moved against it will to restore Apokolips to the point before destruction.
Few seconds later.
.....
Gotham City.
Bang!
A giant dark green arm smashed into the glass cabinet, causing the glass to shatter.
A large piece of glass falls to the ground. Looking at it, one would see the reflection of a green skinned figure with a glowing yellow eye.
Thud!
A bag dropped to the floor, almost filled to the brim with what looked like bottles of medication.
"Grrrrrgh! Finally,". The figure let out a deep, nasal growl and stretched his arms to the cabinet.
The drugs were moved to the large bag he had brought with him, emptying it completely.
Swoosh!
The giant green figure stopped. His ears twitching slightly as he turned to reveal his side profile.
The whole place was dark, with only the moonlight barely illuminating the warehouse room through the glass windows.
For a moment, it seemed that everything was normal.
If it were before, perhaps he would have thought it was an illusion. But in Gotham…. He knew better than to ignore anything subtle when a black man bat was running amok.
Thud!
Thud!
He took two steps and turned around, his footsteps making a loud thudding sound.
And sure enough, he was right.
"William Jones, AKA Killer Croc". The deep voice resounded in the warehouse.
"Stealing drugs isn't your usual MO".
The large muscular figure swept his eyes across the surroundings.
And then, a figure dropped from the ceiling, landing on his feet with a slight squat before restoring his straight posture.
"You!"
The eyes of the green, oversized crocodile narrowed.
Bruce replied with a straight face.
"When half the biotech firms in town get hit, I get curious". Following which, his eyes narrowed.
"And last time I checked, you were supposed to be at Arkham".
"I got out". Looking at the large, muscular figure with scaly skin, Batman realized what the drugs were for.
"You look like you've been working out, Croc". At that moment, a tail suddenly swept towards him, prompting the caped crusader to dodge.
Boom.
The ground beneath Batman's feet cracked under the great force.
"Ok... The tail's new".
"Yeah, got it at a steal. And the sewers of Arkham are particularly easy to gain passage through for escape".
Killer Croc crouched down and rushed towards Batman.
With a slight twist, several Batarangs appeared in the hands of The Dark Knight.
Bruce looked particularly solemn.
However....
Crash!
Glass shattered as a blur flew through the window and smashed straight into Killer Croc who was about to go on a rampage.
The raging crocodile didn't even have the chance to react when a punch landing on his face sent him flying through the concrete wall, into the next room.
"Well vacation's over. Worry not, though. I'm sure your cell hasn't grown too cold ever since you left".
Killer Croc didn't have the chance to see the man in red and blue tights who attacked him.
He laid in the rubble from the broken wall, half his body covered with stone, completely knocked out cold and blood seeping out of his maw.
Seeing that the situation was taken care of, Clark turned his attention back to the expressionless Batman, who stood aside with his Batarangs still within his grasp.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Yes". Bruce said while putting the Batarangs away.
Clark could hear the slight annoyance within that one word.
It was very minute…. But he had Super hearing.
"Well sorry, but I have something to talk about. And waiting for this to play out would take time".
The Man Of Steel flew downwards, his two feet landing on the floor.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean I X-rayed his body. It's filled with Steroids. He was stronger, faster than before.....".
Clark paused, choosing his words carefully.
"He would have been difficult for you to overcome".
"You mean I wouldn't have been able to handle it". Bruce cut in and said bluntly.
"I..... I didn't put it like that".
"You know how I feel about you interrupting in Gotham affairs, Superman". Batman remarked nonchalantly without looking at him.
"I'll be out of your hair soon enough, believe me. It's just...".
"Kara has disappeared, hasn't she?"
"..."
Clark was a bit stunned. Before returning to normal. After all, it was Bruce who knew. He was Batman after all.
Seeing as Clark didn't bother to ask how he knew but just stared at him with an expression that beckoned to go on, Bruce continued.
"Green Arrow messaged me just recently from the Watchtower. A huge energy signature appeared on a Paris building forty minutes ago".
He paused for a moment.
"The same building Kara sat on before our arrival".
Clark's face crumpled.
"You're saying…".
"Yes. It appears that your cousin might have been kidnapped".
"By who". Clark asked with a frown. The urgency in his voice was unconcealed.
"I asked Arrow to run an analysis on the energy signature. It appears that it's the same one that appeared in the Bialyan desert a month ago which the team set out to investigate".
"The secret society?" Clark called out with an unsightly expression.
"Amari was right. They're back?"
"It seems that way. But tell me, did you see Amari in the area....? Or anywhere for that matter".
"... No". When he didn't find Kara in Paris after the Eiffel Tower completely collapsed, he thought she had run away again like back in Metropolis because she didn't want to face him.
He wanted to find her so they could talk.
So..... Who better to look for than Batman.
But now..... He was hearing this.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hearing the tone so solemn, Bruce didn't flinch at Clark's narrowed eyes.
"I didn't want to alert you to the worst possibility until I had definite evidence. For all we know, she could simply be with him, and you might end up worrying for nothing. And as you can see... I was busy". The giant hole in the wall was enough proof to testify to his claim.
"You could have....".
"I told arrow to send you a message informing you about the possible situation three minutes ago. From your tone..... You haven't received it yet".
At that moment, Clark's comms rang, indicating someone was sending him a message.
"Perfect timing Oliver". The frown on his face was particularly unsightly.
"Go back to the watchtower. Green Arrow should be checking for any signs of her on the earth as we speak". Bruce turned around and walked towards the hole.
He had travelled all the way from Paris in forty minutes when Oracle let him know that several Biotech firms in Gotham were reporting break-ins
Now... He had to drag this big lug to the jet and have him transported to Arkham once again so he could begin figuring out who was behind Croc's actions.
Steroids weren't enough to make this guy grow a tail.
Hearing this, Clark calmed down a bit. He didn't want to admit it, but Bruce was right. For all he knew, his cousin could be with Amari. And if she was attacked... Well..... Clark doubted the enemies would be successful.
Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't stop worrying.
"Fine. I hope you're right Bruce". Following which, Clark shot to the skies, disappearing quickly.
Bruce didn't turn around.
At her age in Earth, teenagers were willful. And with what she had gone through, Perhaps she needed someone she felt she could relate with.
Amari was one such person. And from what he had deduced, Bruce doubted that any harm would befall her.
Still, there was a chance that there was more to it than he let Clark in on.
He had hidden something from him after convincing The Martian Manhunter to keep it a secret.
Supergirl was under control. Not completely mind controlled like one would expect, but a mental seed had been planted deep within the recesses of her mind.
No doubt, Batman knew who was behind it.
And now, the energy surge that appeared in the Bialyan desert had appeared again.
There was a great chance that Supergirl had been kidnapped once again by the secret society.
Bruce had placed a tracker on supergirl to confirm his suspicions that Kara was meant to be used as a spy in the league.
But strangely enough, the signal was cut off at that moment forty minutes ago.
There was a chance it had been destroyed..... Which was hard to believe as the trackers weren't on the outside but within Supergirl herself.
Then, there left the other possibility. She had exceeded the range for the trackers to work.
If she was still on Earth, then that was Impossible. This was why Bruce brought forward the idea that Kara could be with Amari.
As technically, he didn't reside in this world.
But there was something else that bothered him. The same energy signature was spotted in Gotham city two days ago. Batman had been secretly investigating this matter on his own.
But now, he had to deviate his attention.
Something was up with Killer Croc, and he was going to find out what.
Meanwhile, unknown to The Dark Knight, A giant dark creature hid in the dark a great distance away observing the caped crusader.
"Grrggg!" It let out a low shriek and flapped its Bat shaped wings before flying off into the distance, disappearing into the night.
.....
A few seconds later.....
Squelch!
Blood splattered on the floor, dyeing it green yet again. At this point, Aurelie was practically a green version of herself several minutes ago.
She raised her spear once again to continue her attack....
"These creatures are....".
Then she stiffened.
Wait ..... Why did this all seem so familiar?
She raised her head to the skies but saw that the Parademons that once turned the area above them to a sea of black was gone.
"I... What….". She turned around and examined her surroundings. The rumbling had stopped, the pillars of flames were gone .... This... Apokolips was still standing.
Wasn't it destroyed?
Strange, she wasn't dead?
"You done?"
The voice from behind startled the Fury, prompting her to twist her body and stab her spear instinctively.
Crack!
Amari watched as the spear slammed against his body and broke in two.
"It's... You".
"Mmhmm". Seeing this, she retracted the broken spear and was silent for a moment.
"What did you do?" She didn't believe for one second that what she experienced wasn't real.
"The planet exploded, you two died, and I turned back time to save it".
Kara opened her mouth but no words came out.
Apokolips was restored. Nevertheless, it looked miserable. Amari hadn't brought it back to perfect shape.
All in all, it looked like it would collapse at any moment once it encountered something slightly stronger.
"..... And Darkseid?"
"Gone". Aurelie was slightly dumbstruck.
"... You killed him?"
"He ran away".
".."
Aurelie was silent. Her face took a deep, hard stare at Amari for a few seconds before she dropped the broken half of her spear.
"Then let's end this already".
"Huh?"
"You've done what you came here to do. So what happens to me now?"
The atmosphere was silent.
Aurelie looked at him with unblinking eyes, fully prepared to have her life end here.
"What makes you think I want to kill you?" Amari held down a chuckle.
"Honestly, I didn't want things to get this far".
Aurelie frowned. She didn't understand where he was going with this.
"Don't understand? Well, if you think I came here to destroy Apokolips and Kill the God of Tyranny, then you're wrong. I just came here to negotiate. But as you can see….".
He spread out his hands with a helpless expression of someone who was forced to defend himself.
"..... Darkseid attacked me first. I had no choice but to take action".
"..."
Seeing the deadpan expressions on their faces, Amari shrugged indifferently.
Whether they believed it or not, he didn't care.
"Then what happens to me?"
"That's your choice".
....
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