Star City—Moments Before the Fortress Siege
The once-thriving heart of Star City was now a war zone. Skyscrapers lay in ruin, their broken forms reaching toward the sky like the shattered ribs of a dying beast. Fires raged unchecked, painting the heavens in an eerie glow, their crackling fury drowned out by the chaos of battle. The streets, once bustling with life, were littered with debris, overturned vehicles, and the remnants of what had been a desperate struggle for survival.
Then—
"BOOM!"
A massive axe slammed into the ruined street, its impact rupturing the earth beneath it. The ground shuddered violently, splitting apart in jagged fractures as molten lava burst forth like a wound torn into the planet itself. The heat rolled off in waves, casting dancing shadows against the wreckage, the scent of burning metal and scorched rock thick in the air.
William flipped backward, his body fluid and precise, twisting effortlessly through the air before coming to a suspended stop high above the battlefield. His emerald eyes glowed, reflecting the infernal light beneath him.
His fingers curled slightly, and with a sharp crackle of power, he reached into the fabric of space itself.
"CRACKLE!"
A violent burst of green lightning erupted in the air before him, arcing wildly like a storm-given sentience. From the heart of the electrical tempest, a weapon forged from sheer willpower materialized in his grasp—a staff, wreathed in emerald lightning, its presence roaring like an untamed tempest.
The very air trembled beneath its fury, the storm bending to its will.
Opposite him, Steppenwolf stood firm, unfazed.
His massive axe, already slick with the blood of countless battles, pulsed with a baleful energy of its own. Jagged arcs of crimson lightning danced across its obsidian surface, responding to the challenge issued by William's weapon. The two forces clashed invisibly, their raw power causing the atmosphere between them to distort and crackle.
Steppenwolf's lips curled into a cruel smirk. His hulking form, clad in jagged Apokoliptian armor, exuded confidence. He was a warrior who had razed planets, conquered civilizations, and stood as one of Darkseid's greatest generals.
And now, he charged.
"SHHHHRRKKKKK!"
His armored boots tore into the street, dragging molten sparks behind him as he rushed forward with terrifying speed, his massive axe carving a burning trail through the ground. The sparks erupted like a volcanic storm, cascading in all directions, the heat warping the very air around him.
His muscles tensed, and with a monstrous roar, he swung.
"WHOOSH!"
The colossal blade of the axe sliced upward in a deadly arc, its edge cutting through the air with murderous precision, aiming to bisect William in one brutal motion.
But William was already gone.
With a single burst of ki, he disappeared from the strike zone.
To the average eye, he had merely blinked out of existence. To Steppenwolf, he had simply vanished.
The next moment, William reappeared effortlessly to the side, his body a blur of controlled energy. His staff spun in his hands like a whirlwind of emerald lightning, humming with pure destructive force.
And then he struck.
"CRACK!"
The staff lashed out, aiming directly for Steppenwolf's leg, the force behind the strike enough to shatter steel.
But Steppenwolf was no fool.
His warrior's instincts screamed at him, and with an explosive leap, he narrowly avoided the attack. His massive frame, despite its bulk, moved with the agility of a predator, his body twisting midair as William's strike tore through the space he had just occupied.
The sheer power behind the attack created a shockwave, splitting apart the already-ruined street beneath them. The force sent chunks of rock and molten debris flying in every direction, further adding to the destruction of Star City.
Hovering midair, Steppenwolf's crimson eyes narrowed as he analyzed William.
This mortal was dangerous.
And this battle was only getting started.
William was poised to strike, his staff humming with crackling energy when a sudden prickle of danger whispered across the back of his neck. His instincts screamed at him.
Without hesitation, he darted left, a blur of motion cutting through the air.
"WOOSH!"
The sound of something deadly fast slicing through the space he had just occupied whistled past his ear, and then, in the distance—
"BOOM!"
A skyscraper detonated, its steel and glass frame collapsing into dust and ruin. The impact was so immense that the entire structure folded in on itself, a shockwave of debris billowing outward, sending wreckage scattering into the already war-torn city.
William's emerald eyes flared with raw fury as he snapped his gaze toward the source of the attack.
A sneak attack.
And he did not take kindly to being attacked from behind.
His eyes locked onto a towering figure, standing with an air of absolute confidence amidst the flames and destruction.
She was tall, almost Amazonian in stature, her powerful frame clad in dark and gold armor, polished yet battle-worn. A massive shield rested in her off-hand, but it was her other hand that caught William's attention.
She was beckoning.
A subtle flick of her wrist, a silent command, and the spear that had just attempted to kill him reversed course as if it were alive. The deadly weapon tore through the air, spinning with deadly precision before landing perfectly in her outstretched hand.
A warrior's grace. A killer's precision.
Before William could move, a furious voice boomed across the battlefield.
"BARDA! I DO NOT SEEK NOR REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE!"
Steppenwolf's roar was thunderous, his rage unmistakable. He turned toward the newcomer, his glowing red eyes burning with irritation. His pride as a warlord had been wounded, this was his fight, his battle, and her interference was an insult.
But the giantess simply scoffed, completely unmoved by his frustration.
The spear crackled in her grip, residual energy still humming through its deadly form. She shot Steppenwolf a look, one filled with mocking arrogance, her lips curving into a smirk.
"I do not require your permission."
Her voice was smooth, but it carried an edge sharper than her spear.
She turned her gaze to William, analyzing him for a moment before flicking her attention back to Steppenwolf with thinly veiled disdain.
"I've already turned my area into a sacrifice for the great Darkseid."
She lifted her chin, standing tall with the posture of someone who had already done her job, who had already won.
Then, her smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with a condescending challenge.
"What's taking you so long?"
The words were daggers, sinking deep into Steppenwolf's pride.
William, standing between them, watched the exchange with mild amusement and growing annoyance. The tension between the two New Gods was thick enough to cut, but he wasn't here to witness an argument.
He was here to tear through Darkseid's forces.
And if Barda wanted to join the fray?
She'd have to learn the hard way who she was dealing with.
"BOOM!"
An explosion of ki erupted from William's body, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. The sheer force of it cracked the ground beneath him, creating spiderweb fractures that spread outward like the earth itself was reacting to his transformation.
His armor fully formed a nightmarish fusion of symbiotic bone material and raw Will energy. Spikes jutted out from his knees and elbows, crackling with latent power, their edges razor-sharp as if hungering for battle. The air around him vibrated, humming with raw potential.
His emerald eyes burned with unrelenting intensity as he gripped his weapon tightly.
"EXTEND!"
With a thunderous roar, his staff elongated instantly, doubling in length, its energy pulsing like a living entity. But William wasn't finished.
With a single motion of his hand, he forged a new weapon, a dual-bladed scythe, its massive curved edges serrated and jagged, composed entirely of Fear energy. The eerie glow of the weapon shifted like a storm, arcs of green lightning dancing along its edges, giving it an almost sentient hunger.
Barda's eyes narrowed, her battle-hardened instincts kicking in as she adjusted her stance. Even for a warrior of Apokolips, she was taken aback by the sudden transformation of William's weapon.
But William didn't give her time to process.
With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, his body a blur of golden and green energy, the massive scythe whistling through the air as it tore toward her midsection.
Barda's reflexes were legendary, and just before the deadly arc could connect, she raised her shield, bracing for impact.
"CLANG!"
The scythe met the shield with a titanic clash, a wave of force erupting outward, shattering the already fragile terrain beneath them. The sheer strength behind the strike sent Barda skidding backward, her feet carving deep trenches into the ground as she hurtled toward Steppenwolf like a meteor.
Steppenwolf, unfazed by the chaotic battle, saw her incoming trajectory and reacted instantly. With a single motion, he thrust the blunt end of his axe into the ground, absorbing her momentum and halting her in place with inhuman strength.
The two warriors barely had time to recover before—
"WHOOSH!"
William appeared above them.
His body was fully extended, his right leg cocked back, muscles coiled like a spring, ready to deliver a bone-shattering kick directly to Steppenwolf's skull.
Barda moved instinctively.
Instead of dodging, she bashed her shield into Steppenwolf's side, knocking him just out of the way of the incoming strike. But the kick's raw force was still immense—
"BOOOOM!"
The shield was sent flying, spinning end over end before vanishing into the distance like a shooting star.
Steppenwolf stumbled, momentarily stunned by the sheer power behind the attack. His body wavered, but he was too proud, too seasoned to allow himself to fall. With a deep growl, he gritted his teeth and forced himself back into position. His composure, his regal dominance, returned in an instant.
He charged.
William, still midair, had mere seconds to react as Steppenwolf rushed toward him, his massive axe raised, its obsidian blade gleaming with lethal intent.
Steppenwolf's battle instincts took over, he saw the opening, the perfect execution. He swung sideways, putting the full weight of his godly strength behind the blow.
This strike wasn't meant to injure.
It was meant to bisect William in half.
The axe tore through the air, a blur of black lightning and death. It came at blinding speed, nearly unstoppable—
Until William stopped moving.
Everything froze for a fraction of a second.
Then—
"KAIO-KEN!!"
A roar of power erupted from William's throat, shaking the very fabric of reality.
His golden aura ignited anew, but this time, a red hue burst forth, blending with his golden energy. The two auras intertwined, creating a dual-layered storm of raw power that sent ripples of destruction outward.
His muscles bulged, veins flaring with ki, his body expanding ever so slightly as his very cells burned with enhanced power.
His skin darkened to a crimson hue, his form now radiating pure, unrelenting force.
Steppenwolf's axe was mere inches away from carving him in two—
But now?
William was faster.
Stronger.
And this battle?
Had just become a slaughter.
A sudden, unnatural dread settled over the battlefield.
For the first time in centuries, Steppenwolf and Barda, two of Apokolips' mightiest New Gods, felt it.
An instinct buried deep in their warrior souls screamed at them.
Something was wrong.
William was no longer just an enemy.
He was a force beyond their comprehension.
Before either of them could react—
He vanished.
Not a blur. Not a streak of movement.
He simply ceased to exist.
And then—
"BOOM!"
He reappeared directly in front of Steppenwolf, so close that the warlord's glowing red eyes barely had time to widen in horrified recognition.
William's own gaze burned with an unholy green fire, his emerald irises now consumed by flickering flames of raw power. His entire form pulsed with Kaio-Ken-infused ki, a seething storm of golden and crimson energy that made the very air around him distort and shudder.
Then, before Steppenwolf could even breathe—
"CRACK!"
A devastating kick collided with Steppenwolf's chestplate, the impact so severe that the reinforced Apokoliptian armor buckled inward, caving like brittle metal under impossible force.
The sound of rending steel and fracturing bone mixed with the sickening wet cough of Steppenwolf spitting up dark, viscous blood.
"HYAKK!"
The mighty warlord, Darkseid's Executioner, was forced to his knees, his entire frame convulsing from the shock of the attack. He gasped for breath, struggling against the pain, trying to force his battered body to rise.
But the moment he shifted, his warrior instincts flared with warning.
Something, no, someone, was behind him.
With desperation overriding caution, Steppenwolf swung his arm back, putting every ounce of his strength into the retaliatory strike. His plated gauntlet, forged in the hellish furnaces of Apokolips, whistled through the air, aiming to crush whatever stood behind him.
"THUD!"
His arm stopped.
Frozen in place, completely immobilized.
William had caught it.
His massive hand, encased in his symbiotic bone-will armor, had latched onto Steppenwolf's gauntlet, stopping the attack casually.
Effortlessly.
Like it meant nothing.
For a brief moment, a chilling silence filled the battlefield.
Even the wind seemed to still.
"W...What are y—"
Steppenwolf never got to finish.
William tightened his grip.
And pulled.
"SQUELCH!"
A guttural, wet rip echoed through the ruins of Star City as Steppenwolf's arm was violently torn from its socket.
Dark blood gushed from the gaping wound like a broken dam, spraying the already bloodstained ground.
"AAAHHHHHH!"
The warlord's roar of agony shattered the momentary silence. His massive frame staggered forward, his body instinctively recoiling from the catastrophic injury.
He stumbled, nearly falling face-first into the soaked earth, clutching at the gaping, hemorrhaging wound where his arm had once been.
He had never felt pain like this before.
His entire body shook.
Steppenwolf, the fearsome warlord of Apokolips, the slayer of thousands, Darkseid's chosen general, was bleeding out.
He desperately tried to gain distance, to escape this nightmare, his remaining limbs dragging him across the battlefield.
But William wasn't done.
Not even close.
Steppenwolf staggered, his massive frame barely holding itself upright as dark blood poured in thick rivulets from the gaping wound where his arm had once been. His body, once a monument of Apokoliptian strength, now trembled with weakness, his breath coming in ragged, pained gasps.
But his mind was still sharp.
And it screamed at him to run.
Desperation overtook pride. His feet dragged against the ruined battlefield as he stumbled toward Barda, his one remaining hand reaching out for aid. He could see her readying herself, her stance shifting to intercept and assist him.
But before she could move—
"FWOOSH!"
A brilliant blast of ki tore through the air, its glowing energy illuminating the battlefield in an instant.
The attack wasn't aimed directly at her, but at the ground in front of her.
"BOOOOM!"
The explosion erupted like a bomb, flames and debris shooting up in a violent wave of force. The impact sent cracks splintering through the ground beneath her feet, forcing Barda to halt her charge, momentarily stunned by the sheer intensity of the attack.
Steppenwolf, realizing his only hope of survival had been cut off, froze.
His glowing red eyes widened in pure, unadulterated terror.
And then—
A shadow loomed over him.
Before he could turn, a vice-like grip closed around his one remaining shoulder, and his body was ripped into the air like a broken doll.
Steppenwolf gasped, his legs dangling helplessly, as he found himself face-to-face with William.
The warrior's emerald eyes burned, the green flames within them flickering with an unnatural intensity. His grip on the New God's mangled body was unwavering, his strength absolute.
Steppenwolf's once-commanding voice was now hoarse and broken as he cried out in desperation.
"NO... PLEASE... HAVE MERCY!"
His roar was raw, pitiful, a sound completely foreign to a warlord of his stature.
But William's face was emotionless.
"Mercy?"
His voice was calm, eerily so, his tone carrying a quiet menace far more terrifying than an outburst of rage.
He tilted his head slightly, his grip tightening.
"How many worlds begged for mercy under your boots?"
His voice was like steel, sharp and cutting.
"Hundreds? Thousands?"
Steppenwolf's body shook in his grasp, but he couldn't escape.
William let out a small, hollow chuckle, shaking his head slightly.
"I'll show you the same mercy."
With that, he clamped his fingers around Steppenwolf's throat and remaining shoulder, gripping tight.
Then, he squeezed.
"AAAHHHHHH!"
Steppenwolf's agonized roar ripped through the battlefield as his flesh began to tear.
William's fingers pressed deeper, digging through muscle and sinew, his grip unstoppable as Steppenwolf's bones splintered under the force.
The wound spread—
The flesh between his neck and shoulder began to split, the skin giving way as tendons snapped like stretched rubber bands.
"SQUELCH!"
The sound of muscles being forcibly separated echoed grotesquely.
The steaming heat of exposed organs and torn arteries flooded the air as William's unyielding grip finally completed its work.
The light in Steppenwolf's eyes dimmed.
His expression—once filled with arrogance, then fear, then agony—now held only the vacant emptiness of death.
His lifeless body dropped from William's grasp, plummeting toward the ruined battlefield below.
"THUD!"
The once-mighty general of Darkseid—one of Apokolips' greatest warlords, the executioner of countless civilizations—was nothing more than a corpse in the dirt.
The battlefield was silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
The only sound was the distant crackle of fire, and the quiet, methodical breathing of the warrior who had executed a god.
William lowered his gaze, his body still pulsing with power.
But the battle wasn't over.
Not yet.
William's gaze turned, scanning the battlefield for his next target, but his eyes only found empty space where Barda had once stood. The boom tube she had used to escape flickered out of existence in a flash of light, its aura dissipating into nothingness like a fading star.
He had missed her—but he wasn't about to let her slip away.
His senses flared.
The battlefield was a sea of chaos, the air thick with the sounds of Parademons and the wreckage of the fight, but there was one distinct pulse of energy that cut through the madness. His keen senses homed in on it like a beacon.
"I feel her."
His voice was low, barely above a whisper, but the determination in it was palpable. Barda's life force stood out like a burning light amongst the countless Parademons swarming below. But there was something else, another powerful presence near her. It wasn't just the Parademons.
Someone else was with her.
William's emerald eyes narrowed, the green flames in them flickering as he focused. He could feel the ripple of energy, its strength unmistakable, an aura that resonated with power.
The Arctic. He felt it clearly, the destination etched in his mind. The two forces, Barda had retreated to request the aid of someone powerful.
And that meant only one thing, she had gone for reinforcement and the war was just beginning.
His body rose higher into the air, the golden and crimson aura around him flaring with a fierce intensity. The temperature around him seemed to drop as his power surged, his presence shaking the very atmosphere. Every Parademon in his vicinity recoiled, instinctively aware that something unseen and overwhelmingly dangerous was coming their way.
He wasn't just flying, he was ripping through the air, the very wind screaming in protest as his ki-powered form shot toward the Arctic with blinding speed. His every movement was an embodiment of pure determination, his mission clear.
"I won't let you escape," he muttered under his breath, the words barely audible over the roar of the winds around him.
His aura flared bright and violent, crackling like a storm contained within a single being. He could feel the presence of Barda and her mysterious companion drawing closer, their power signatures sharp and undeniable. Each beat of his heart pulsed with ki energy, propelling him forward faster and faster.
William's form split the sky, his body becoming a mere blur of energy and raw will as he approached the Arctic wastelands. The distant white snow seemed to glow as if responding to his approach, the land itself seeming to shudder in anticipation of his arrival.
The hunt had begun.