"Yes…FUCK YEAH!!!"
Derek, sweaty with his shirt off revealing his lean body on the skinnier side with his ribs visible, shot to his feet as he yelled in excitement.
He was currently over his metal desk which was adorned by a messy workspace of needles, different liquids and a dozen pieces of equipment.
However, his surroundings were completely dark. Not like the usual darkness of the storage room where light would sneak through the cracks of the door, but pitch black.
But he didn't seem to mind this, working under a large desk light.
"I'm a fucking genius. Ray Palmer who?"
Derek raised his hand, staring greedily at a syringe containing a funny-looking liquid.
It looked similar to water being mixed with oil, except the liquid was a combination of lime green and purple specs floating within.
"I've done it. Modified Mirakuru."
It had been a whole day since Team Flash met to discuss Thawne. Since then, Derek has been here, slaving himself away.
But everything he worked for was currently in his hand. And it made him grin uncontrollably.
'But there's just one problem I couldn't account for.'
One problem that was inevitable.
'If I take the raw dosage, I'll die. In the show, they used a Bio-Transfuser to guarantee survival, but I have a better idea.'
Derek still had one more thing to do before his two days were complete. He only had a single night left and he planned to kill two birds with one stone.
In the instant, the table and chair began to sink into the ground as the ceiling started to seemingly disappear.
'Eclipse, keep this safe.'
He thought, gently placing the syringe onto the ground and watching Eclipse swallow it.
Straightening his back and watching Eclipse shrink around him until it was nothing but a small platform under his feet, he squinted his eyes as he found himself above the clouds in the sky.
The cold made goosebumps appear on his bare skin as he smiled, taking in a deep breath.
Then, he leaned forward, throwing himself off.
-WHOOSH
He quickly accelerated to terrifying speeds as he hung vertically, head first to the ground.
The heavy air slapping him in the face made it hard to breathe, but the smile never faded from his face.
Soon, he passed the clouds, and it was then that he could finally see it.
'There it is. Nanda Parbat, home to the League of Assassins.'
Derek stared at the aged castle-like structure seemingly built into the side of a grand mountain.
It was perfectly camouflaged, blending into the mountain. Whether this was done on purpose to hide in plain sight or was simply a testament to its age was unknown.
With pillars blessing the front of the castle in rows, a grand entrance lay at the centre.
And currently, Derek was falling right toward it.
'This is it. This will be my farm.'
Like he said before, the throne will be empty due to Ra's death.
However, there was a particular snake that Derek knew was already here to nab the leftovers.
Malcolm Merlyn.
Here for the same reason as Derek, Oliver made the mistake of leaving Malcolm to reap the benefits of Ra's death, becoming the new Demon's Head.
Later, Oliver would best Malcolm in a fight, allowing him and Nyssa Al Ghul, Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, to disband the League of Assassins forever.
'But I can deal with him.'
With dungeons and assassins trained in the art of torture far better than him, he could bring the cattle here to be cultivated.
Or in simpler terms, Metahumans who had interesting abilities.
For this, he needed the throne.
'And most importantly, the Lazarus Pit. With it, I won't have to worry about dying from the serum.'
But for this, he couldn't be seen. After all, there were people here who knew Oliver Queen and Oliver Queen knew Barry Allen.
He needed to do this not as Derek Bond, but rather as a D-ranked villain he promised he'd benefit from.
A D-Ranked Villain title which gave him the idea to farm Sp and was perfectly in line with what he needed to do.
With this…
-BLOP
Eclipse suddenly latched onto Derek's torso from his pants, crawling upwards as it swallowed all the dirt, sweat and grime that had accumulated on him.
It was at this moment that Eclipse started to form into something.
First, it was a cloak with a large hood that flipped over Derek's head, staying put despite the heavy winds.
The cloak flowed down to his calves, the ends appearing tattered and torn.
Underneath this cloak, Eclipse clung to Derek's body, forming a form-fitting suit, covering him from neck to toe, even coming with gloves, leaving no part of him visible.
Finally, Eclipse finished with a few touch-ups, forming a long and pointed collar that popped out around Derek's neck and the bottom of his face.
Additionally, the colour at the wrists, waist and collar changed to a mesmerizing gold, further adding to the dramatic flair.
He could immediately feel his body warm up despite the intense cold, a refreshing feeling spreading throughout his body.
'Surprisingly, I haven't had a chance to utilise Eclipse to its fullest capabilities.'
With this, his body started to slow. So much so that he could freely flip himself right side up again in a controlled and seemingly impossible manner.
Finally, his descent slowed until it came to a complete stop, allowing Derek to stare down at Nanda Parbat, getting a better look.
'Interesting. I can control the Eclipse on my skin freely, practically giving me the ability to fly.'
With this, he slowly lowered himself until his feet touched the ground.
"Nanda Parbat. You'll be of good use to me."
"State your name and purpose for being here."
Derek turned his head, only now noticing a figure in all black, an unsheathed sword in his hand, donning a mask and hood, only leaving his eyes visible.
He'd only touched the ground less than a minute ago and was already confronted.
'Amazing. I couldn't even notice him.'
His super speed perception didn't give him a sixth sense or heighten his regular senses.
It simply boosted the speed at which his brain could process things.
His regular senses still worked the same.
It was the same reason why one could catch Speedsters by surprise if they weren't focused or blinded.
"Stealth, huh? I always thought it was fake when I watched it on screen. But no, you really became one with the shadows. Might be a good skill to learn while I'm here."
The assassin watched Derek ramble, showing no reaction as he repeated his question once again.
"Answer the question and I'll make your death quick."
-BLOP
Derek waved his hands without saying a word. As he did, part of Eclipse dropped to the ground with a BLOP.
Though the Assassin had his guard up, he remained wary, not rushing in as he watched.
The slime grew, taking form as it increased in length more than it did in width.
Finally, Derek nodded at the final product.
What stood before him was an exact replica of his body. Though it possessed no features like eyes or mouth, the outline was on point.
'Fight.'
The clone didn't waste a second, dashing forth toward the Assassin.
However…
-SHING
The Assassin simply stepped to the side in a motion that wasn't fast, but so fluid that it gave the illusion it was instant.
With a single wave of his sword, he sliced the clone in half.
'Welp, I didn't think it would be that bad.'
Derek made sure that the clone had similar stats to his. Additionally, it possessed nothing but his martial arts skills.
He wanted to see how he'd fare against an assassin, and the results were less than impressive.
Granted this clone didn't possess his intelligence or Super Speed Perception, but still.
'Without this suit, I wouldn't even last a second against this random Extra.'
But he wasn't too disappointed about that. After all, he was here to fix that.
"Anyway…"
"You're not going anywhere."
The Assassin leapt upon seeing Derek turn to leave.
-BLOP
-BOOM
A giant mallet suddenly struck down on the Assassin, destroying the rock-solid ground as the assassin disappeared into the ground, buried.
'I have a palace to conquer.'
***
In a large and dimly lit room, torches and candles lit birthing a mysterious ambience, a man with a strong jawline, nicely styled hair and black garments covering him from neck to toe stood before dozens of assassins.
Behind the man was a large and rather obnoxious throne, empty. And behind that was the rocky wall of the room, evidence that they were indeed in the heart of a mountain.
"At least admit this was your plan all along, Malcolm."
A female, dressed like the assassins, only with a bow on her back, sword on her hip and red highlights to her outfit, walked down the middle of the assassins, toward the man.
"Nyssa, my only aspiration was to free myself of your father's grasp. A feat we both are now better for."
Malcolm spoke with a grin, brandishing an oddly designed silver ring, one which looked like the head of a demon.
"I don't see how that's possible for your case."
Nyssa, the beauty she carried in her smooth tanned skin and long black hair distracted one from the danger she carried in her eyes.
"When I was your father's captive three months ago, he tortured me with his blade."
"And he chose to release you, showing you mercy. I will not."
A hint of bloodlust escaped into her tone.
"You killed Sara and I will have justice."
Malcolm scoffed, unfazed.
"You are welcome to try. Until then, kneel before Ra's Al Ghul."
The dozens of assassins behind them instantly dropped to one knee.
'I will kill you. I promise.'
The rage Nyssa currently felt was immeasurable.
The man before her had taken everything she had. Her League, Sara and now her dignity as she was forced to bow.
But she could do nothing.
Even if she could beat Malcolm in a fight, she couldn't do anything in a direct confrontation against the entire League.
Reluctant, Nyssa grits her teeth, glaring, slowly lowering until…
-BOOM!!!
Every eye turned back in succession at the ear-piercing explosion that suddenly erupted.
Dust filled the air, obscuring everyone's sight. However, as the seconds passed, Malcolm and Nyssa's eyes narrowed, witnessing a figure emerge from the chaos.
"Malcolm Merlyn…"
Wearing a cloak, the figure's face was hidden by the large hood he wore.
"Who are you? What have you done with my men?"
Malcolm stepped forward. He was unfazed but he didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
He felt nothing from the figure before him.
Killers like the ones in this room usually exuded a bloodlust in their aura.
A bloodlust someone experienced like him could usually notice.
However, he couldn't deduce anything about the figure before him, unsure if he should laugh or grow more cautious.
'What…'
Malcolm and Nyssa's eyebrows furrowed as they witnessed a giant sphere floating behind the figure, only now noticeable after the dust settled.
-BLOP
The sphere suddenly opened as similarly clothed assassins dropped from it like flies, creating a pile beside the figure.
They were all dead.
"What men?"
Silence descended as Malcolm's eyes grew more deadly by the second.
"As I was saying, Malcolm Merlyn, I challenge you."
This is how one would usually take the throne. By beating the Demon's Head.
Of course, Derek could just as easily engage Malcolm right there while he was shocked.
However, the league would never follow him like this, instead attacking the figure who killed their leader.
'I need to express my superiority in a way they'll understand. My…superiority…'
Derek didn't know it, but the longer this went on, his heartbeat accelerated, the corner of his lips twitching up and down.
"What?" Malcolm, regaining his composure, hissed as he drew his sword.
Nyssa's eyes stayed glued on the figure, something like a spark igniting as she felt something inside.
Hope.
"You heard me. I want a Trial of Combat for the throne."
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Happy? Now gimme the powerstones!!!