Chapter 7: Into the Catacombs

Wonder Woman was keen to get this over with as soon as possible. Not only was she in it to put an end to Grail's threat and save Paris from the presence of Darkseid, but she also didn't fancy leaving Master Fu in Constantine's care for too long. She had seen quite clearly how much the Asian man had disapproved of him and being left in his care for so long would surely drive the poor man insane. Still, at least he wasn't left on his own with nobody to care for him and he was safe. It was only she, Ladybug and Cat Noir who were going into the lion's den and risking certain death in facing Darkseid and his daughter.

Wonder Woman flew through the night sky, searching for the catacombs that the two Apokaliptians were hiding in. She had her tracer in hand and glanced at it every so often to see how close they were. The Apokaliptian energy signature was growing stronger as she traveled through the air. She was getting closer by the minute. The Amazon glanced over her shoulder to see how Ladybug and Cat Noir were keeping up. They were close by, hopping from rooftop-to-rooftop and using their weapons to hover if necessary. It was impressive how they were so young, yet they were keeping up so well. How was it that teenagers made for some of the most determined and hardy heroes in the world? So young and yet so full of energy and courage. It's why so many of them made successful superhero teams like the Teen Titans and Young Justice.

Wonder Woman also found herself thinking back to the days where she had once had a teen sidekick of her own. First Donna Troy, and now Cassie Sandsmark. When they had been with her, they'd displayed the same amount of determination Ladybug and Cat Noir had been displaying throughout the night. Imagine if they were here now helping her to fight Darkseid and Grail...

Wonder Woman put her thoughts aside as she looked at the tracer again, seeing the signature had grown ever stronger. It was telling her that what she was searching for was directly below her. The Amazon looked down, glad to see there were no people around. She wouldn't have wanted civilians to think she was being a public menace, even if she was only trying to save the world. She touched down on the ground, Ladybug and Cat Noir landing beside her.

"I think we're here." Wonder Woman announced, "The tracer's telling me that the energy signatures are coming from directly below us."

Ladybug glanced at the tracer and then back to the Amazon.

"Well shouldn't we just Boom Tube right in there, Diana? It'd make getting in there a lot easier." she suggested, only for the Amazon to look unsure.

"It honestly depends who else is down there. Darkseid alone is enough to worry about, but there could be a lot more waiting for us. They could have us beaten if we land right in the middle of their base." she pointed out, not liking the idea of getting ambushed upon arrival.

"Who or what else could be down there? Can't imagine there'd be that many in the Catacombs." Chat Noir replied, sounding eager to get in after the Apokaliptians. Wonder Woman gave him a firm look.

"If you've been around for as long as I have, you'd know the Catacombs run a lot deeper than what the public makes you think. The best we can do is Boom Tube about five miles away from the signature, that way we can observe and give them the element of surprise." she then said in a thoughtful tone, getting a smile off of Ladybug.

"Well, we're right behind you, Diana. If that's your plan, then let's put it to use. Gotta admit, I'm a little excited. Never thought we'd ever get into the Catacombs." she said in a lighter tone, getting a giggle off of Wonder Woman.

"A young friend of mine can make arrangements for you and your friends to explore more of them later on. Still, we should go now, before it gets too late." the Amazon pressed on as she held up her com.

"Chrome Stone, lock us onto a five mile distance from the signature in the Catacombs, requesting a Boom Tube." she ordered sharply. Instantly, she got a response.

"Recognized, Wonder Woman. Boom Tube opening now." came the voice of the A.I.

Straight away, a slight blow came at the two Parisians from behind and a big circular orb of light opened up as they turned around. Wonder Woman pulled her sword out, just to be ready in case for anything dangerous on the other side. Cocking her head towards the Boom Tube, she gave them a smile.

"Follow me, children. Our trouble with Grail ends tonight" she assured as she walked on in, slowly disappearing into the colourless portal.

Chat Noir lightly giggled as he walked towards the portal.

"Want me to check it first, M'Lady? Or shall it be ladies first?" he offered, getting a warm smile off of Ladybug as she walked up next to him, her hair flowing freely as the wind of the Tube blew against her. Chat Noir had to fight off daydreaming as he felt she looked like she was walking next to a star with such a look.

"I'll take the latter if you don't mind, Adrien?" Ladybug said kindly as she steadily went forward, glancing back to her boyfriend to see him following closely after her.

For what was just a few seconds of nearly being blinded by the emptiness of the portal, Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped as they stumbled through to the other side, darkness almost taking their sight away, only for a pair of hands to gently take hold of their wrists.

"It's alright, I can see you both. Stay low, there's some lights up ahead, I'll guide you to them." came the assuring voice of the Amazon as she gently pulled them downwards. Chat Noir signed as his night vision kicked in, his vision going green.

"Okay, I can see just fine. I've got you, Marinette." he softly assured as he saw his girlfriend trying to find her footing.

"Ugh, sure stinks down here. Quite wet too." Ladybug groaned as she carefully stepped forward, Wonder Woman in front of her by the hand while Chat Noir was behind her, making sure she was alright with her manoeuvring around the place.

Taking it in with his night vision, Chat Noir felt a sense of unease and shivering coming across him as he saw the wet, stony walls that towered above him, the pillars thin and twisted like dried skin while large lumps of rock were scattered around them, with only a small orb of light up ahead being their guide aside from Wonder Woman.

"Sure is spooky down here. And gritty..." Cat Noir muttered, "Now wonder the Apokaliptian family is down here! This place is perfect for those freaks!"

"I wouldn't say that." Ladybug said in response, "I kinda pictured their lair being full of fire for some reason."

She thought back to the nightmare that was still plaguing the back of her mind. At the end, she had seen the Earth engulfed with flames and then the red beams coming towards her. Maybe that was why she'd expected to see a lot of fire in Darkseid's hideout. Or maybe the fire was still yet to come and they didn't know it yet.

"I'll just say that you'll see plenty of fire if you ever have the misfortune of visiting their home world." Wonder Woman muttered, shuddering as she pictured Ladybug and Cat Noir in the clutches of Darkseid and his generals and being sent to the slave pits. She hoped dearly they would never set foot on Apokalips, the sight of such a planet would scar them for life. The heroes traversed through the catacombs, moving slowly and steadily so as not to make any noise. As far as they could tell, nobody knew they were here yet, and they intended to keep it that way. They chose to be as quiet as they could once they reached the set of lights that had been planted into the structure they were walking through.

"Stick to the darkness but keep your weapons at the ready. They won't hesitate to kill you the second they see you." Wonder Woman warned the two, shortly hearing the whirring and hissing of their yo-yo and baton getting turned into their weaponized states.

"I can imagine you've been in places like this all your life Diana, well, when going on adventures that is. Bet you've managed to climb mountains and find hidden cities in them." Ladybug whispered as they began to tread down a pathway that went downwards, smaller lights illuminating their way.

"You don't want to know the hideous creatures mountains hide, Marinette. If you thought Arkham Asylum houses the most vile of human beings, mountains are home to some of the most twisted and barbaric of all sorts of beings. Sadly even humans..." Wonder Woman replied, her tone grim as she thought of the likes of Ra's Al Ghul and China White in their mountainous homes that protected them from the world.

"Hope we don't get to meet any of them then." Ladybug replied in an agreeable tone, hoping not to get anymore unkind visitors coming to Paris. Chat Noir then spoke up, wanting to change the subject onto something that was on his mind.

"Sorry to bother you, Diana, but if you don't mind me asking...how much did Hermes mean to you? I know he was part of your pantheon of Gods, but with how you were when we found his body, you seemed as if you...lost a friend. I take it you knew him well?" the leather clad teenager asked as they came out into a clearing that was slightly darkened due to not having as many lights in it.

Wonder Woman's eyebrows turned upwards in forming a slightly upset look, though a small smile appeared on her face as Ladybug looked at her with interest over what her answer would be.

"Let's just say...he was like family. It was partly thanks to him why I came out into the world. Tikki and my fellow Amazons taught me so much, but Hermes...he was there to guide me across the world, showed me the good to counter the bad, showed me who I could trust, and to help me remember to fight for what I believed in." she explained softly as memories flooded back to her of her adventures with the Greek God, how he would watch her from the side to see her push through all that was in her way.

"Sounds like you had quite the adventure with him. It wasn't all about kicking butt though, was it?" Ladybug asked with a smile as she wanted to hear more of what the Amazon had to say. Wonder Woman smiled.

"He was only there for the early butt kicking. Everything else that happened throughout history...I handled by myself. Still not sure how I got through it, really." she said distantly as she remembered all she did ever since being part of Man's World since nineteen eighteen.

"Take it he was like a father to you then...glad he was good to you." Chat Noir said in a slightly sad tone, pain still clear in his very self over the loss of his father.

"Don't mind me, just being my moody self. I'll get over it...when I can." he then suddenly said as he caught their concerned eyes.

Choosing to take Chat Noir's words and let him be, Wonder Woman looked to the tracer again and frowned.

"Okay, not much further now. Stay low and let's keep the talking short." she advised as she gripped her sword tightly as she began to press more closely to the walls, worried at being seen. Taking her change of attitude and manuvering seriously, Ladybug and Chat Noir followed the Amazon in a similar movement.


Elsewhere in the Catacombs, at the very epicentre of where the heroes were going towards, Grail had carried a candle by her side as she made her way through the darkened tunnels that had their lights off for good reason. Mantis was following after her, his feet crunching against the rock like soil and leaving big footprints in his wake.

"Sounds glorious that your father is in good spirits, princess. Should word be sent out to Dessaad to awaken his nest of Parademons?" asked the big green insect like alien, only to get a grunt from Grail.

"Do what you must. If it's to please my father, go right ahead. I doubt he will thank you." she replied grimly, confusing the bug, who then went on ahead of her, not thinking anymore of her mood.

"Do enjoy the battle to come, princess, for it will be gruesome and brilliant!" he called back as he went on up ahead towards the light on the other side, getting another grunt from Grail as she then leapt to the top of the room she was in, landing on some sort of gantry as she reached there.

Although it it was dark, it was easy enough for Grail to see the machine panel in front of her. Her fingers shook in anger as she grabbed the lever by the side, still not pleased with the choices her father was making.

"And so begins the unmaking of all my work...why did I go through with this, mother?" she whispered to herself in a sad tone as lights began to light up the room, revealing it was another cave like structure, only on the side Grail was on, there were techno-organic like tubes, about a hundred of them, all planted in the wall, as if an insect had laid its eggs, only there were mechanical machinery that looked fitting enough for a garage by their sides. Pretty much where the homeless man ended up being in, his whole self likely dead.

Veins on the top half row of eggs began to pulse and gurgle as large figures inside of them began to open their arms up, red eyes glowing brightly as sharp teeth stood out in the orange glow of the eggs. Grail sighed as she heard the mechanical organic growl of her father's forces echo from the eggs, looking down at her feet as she thought of all the work she had been doing for her father...and her mother.

"Mother...why did you not raise me differently?" Grail asked herself, deeply wishing her mother was here now, feeling the atmosphere change for her as it all sunken in that there'd be no point in having Darkseid fight for good. It was all for nothing...

Her eyes then widened as a thought came to her. Darkseid might not be one to listen to any sense of good but...she did. Perhaps the world of Apokalips didn't need Darkseid...


Meanwhile, Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir were slowly but surely making their way towards the Parademon nest. Their nerves were tingling as they got closer to the energy signature the tracer was picking up. Wonder Woman could feel her heart beat a little faster, knowing what she was getting into. They were heading towards the lion's den, and chances are they weren't going to leave without a few scratches. She glanced over at Ladybug and Cat Noir, seeing that the two were beginning to look more and more nervous.

"Try to keep calm and don't let yourself get anxious." Wonder Woman said sternly, "The one thing you must never do when near Parademons is get scared. They can sense fear and they can even feed off of it. Your anxieties will attract them."

"Oh great, something to make me MORE nervous!" Cat Noir sighed, "But thanks for the warning. I'll try and keep calm."

"What do we do if they attack?" Ladybug asked.

"Kill them before they kill us. They're not hard to kill thankfully." Wonder Woman explained, thinking back to how many Parademons that had been slain by her sword in the past. When it came to fighting supervillains and invading aliens, the Justice League could happily boast about how many Parademons each enemy had killed in their battles with Darkseid.

"Not like you to be thankful that something's easy to kill." Cat Noir noted, curious on Wonder Woman's dismissive attitude towards the creatures.

"They're mindless monsters that have to be killed. They barely even qualify as life." Wonder Woman explained, "They're among the few things I can slay without feeling any guilt over the deed."

"And I think you may have to start slaying because there's one right there!" Ladybug exclaimed, pointing ahead.

The trio all stared as a Parademon turned the corner and stared at them with blood red eyes that glowed in the darkness. It was a repulsive sight, looking like some hideous fusion of a skeleton and an insect with its exposed bones, huge insect-like wings and hunched-over stance. Its jaws opened, revealing a gruesome maw of sharp teeth and yellowy viscous liquids stretching between them. It flew towards them, its wings beating in the air wildly as they carried it towards the heroes. Wonder Woman swiped at it with her sword but the Parademon held back, causing her to miss. It clawed at the princess, but it hit the armoured bracelet around her wrist so it didn't hurt her.

"We must be close to the nest!" the Amazon cried, "Grail may be waking them up as we speak! We must get to it before anymore start emerging from their tubes!"

"Let's get this piece of crap out of the way then!" Chat Noir yelled as he propelled himself forward and viciously drove his baton's glowing tip into the chest of the Parademon, shoving it up against the rock like wall behind it. Ladybug gasped at the ferocious change in her boyfriend's attitude, but kept quiet from voicing her shock as she watched on.

Chat Noir growled as he twisted his baton deeper into the skin of the Parademons, watching on as the glow of his weapon spread across the creature like fire eating away at paper. The Parademon let out a hiss of agony as the wave of power consumed it, turning it to a pile of ash in just a minute. Chat Noir pulled his baton back and let out a deep blow of air, trying to ease his adrenaline.

"Good thing this works on them. So much for being monsters of hell." he said in slight pleasure, only for his ears to perk up as he heard the sound of more wings fluttering up ahead in the darkness.

"Now we're getting the full dose of them!" Ladybug cried as she leapt on top of a nearby rock and shot herself forward through the empty air, snapping her blades down on one Parademon like scissors, causing it to drop lifelessly to the floor in two halves.

Ladybug gagged at the stench of its guts while lumps of green blood covered her front, even dropping on her hair.

"Ugh, that's just...ohhhhh!" she cried as she wiped some of the blood off, only for Wonder Woman to hoop her lasso around her and pulled her back from an incoming blast of laser fire, Wonder Woman pulling her away from the danger.

"Oh great, they've got guns!?" Ladybug yelled in shock, not liking the idea of taking on gun wielding creatures.

"Sadly so." Wonder Woman replied as she threw her sword at another like a dart, the silver blade slicing cleanly through the Parademon from head to groin and watched as it impaled another in the head.

"The nest shouldn't be so far away. Adrien, can the energy from your baton spread on a wider scale?" Wonder Woman asked as she pulled out her lasso. Chat Noir glanced to his weapon and nodded.

"It probably can, why do you ask?" he questioned as he dodged another blast of lasers.

Wonder Woman leapt onto a nearby rock and lassoed her weapon around one of the Parademons and then tossed it into another, knocking that one out of the air and sending it flying onto another on the ground, following on with a vicious slam onto a sharp towering rock, killing that Parademon she lassoed. Ladybug ran forward and shivered as she drove her Ladyblades into the chests of the two downed Parademons, killing them almost instantly as the aura of her blades burnt through them, watching as their eyes lost their colour as if they were lights being turned off.

"Go find the next and use your baton on it, it should destroy those that have not woken up." Wonder Woman told Chat Noir as she pulled her sword out of the body of the Parademon it was impaled in.

Cat Noir nodded and pressed forward, leaving the two heroines to finish off the Parademons currently awake. He didn't see Wonder Woman and Ladybug mow down a few more Parademons as they flew towards them, falling to the ground in pieces like a broken doll. Cat Noir found himself being confronted by another Parademon as it spotted him. It took aim and shot at him with its gun, but the feline-themed hero spun his staff around to block the attack. The laser blast just harmlessly dissipated upon impact. Then Cat Noir drew his arm back and threw the staff at the Parademon like a javelin. The staff hit it in the chest tip first, the Cataclysm like ability reducing it to dust in a matter of seconds. The black-clad teen retrieved his staff and carried on running ahead, barely even noticing the dead Parademon as he ran by.

"Wondie was right, these things are easy to kill!" he said to himself with a slight chuckle. Even Hawk Moth's weakest akuma villains put up more of a fight than these things did!

Cat Noir followed the tunnel to the nest, reasoning that the Parademons had come from up ahead so the nest had to be close by. He even saw a few more Parademons emerging from the end of the tunnel he was in, coming out in larger numbers than before. That HAD to be the nest and he had to get a move on and destroy it before they ended up overwhelmed by the creatures. Cat Noir charged ahead, using his staff to disintegrate Parademons left and right as he came across them. Some flew past him, heading on towards Wonder Woman and Ladybug while some tried to attack Cat Noir. Several Parademons ended up reduced to dust before they even had time to take aim and shoot at him. Cat Noir soon found himself in a bit of a scrape as a couple of Parademons managed to pounce on him and pin him down to the floor before he could use his staff on them. He struggled furiously, trying to break free as the insectoid beasts held him down. The Parademons opened their mouths, keen to start feasting on their prey. They could smell his fear as he tried to break free and were desperate to consume it.

Cat Noir managed to save himself by swinging his leg up and walloping one of the demons in the backside, causing him to tumble forwards and away from him. With one arm free, he was able to grab hold of his staff again and kill the other Parademon holding him down as it tried to bite him. He closed his eyes and mouth to avoid getting any of the dust his opponent had been reduced to in them. He jumped to his feet and jabbed the staff down on the other Parademon that had pinned him down, killing that one too. Now the cat-like hero was free, he headed on into the nest, finding himself aghast at what he was seeing. The techno-organic machinery that was holding the Parademons looked like something out of a science-fiction film, only there was nothing fictional about this sight. It was a hideous reality, and one Cat Noir still couldn't quite believe. But here he was, in the nest of the Parademons, and just seconds away from preventing a full-scale army from emerging into the world. He gripped his staff ever tighter, heading towards one of the tubes.

"Now to use my staff to destroy the tube like Wonder Woman told me." he said to himself, "And I don't need to feel bad about killing them. They barely qualify as life, she said. Just mindless monsters that need to be killed..."

He took a moment to consider what he was about to do. Yes, they were monsters that willingly served all evil, but...was he being like his father in doing this? Or...would Gabriel have been more than happy to have an army of Parademons working for him?

Yes...he would. His father would've stored them up under the mansion if he could, have them feast upon his friends...and they would feast upon everyone else if he didn't hurry up.

Glaring at the hatched egg like tubes, Chat Noir slammed his baton tip into the one nearest to him. His green eyes watched on as a matching wave of destructive energy spread across the tubes like a wave splashing over rocks on a beach. One by one, the remaining pods were all turned to ash, squeals of agony echoing from them as the Parademons inside were all destroyed.

Chat Noir clenched his fist in pleasure at this.

"Alright, that's it! You did it kitty!" he gladly yelled, only for his eyes to widen as the last of his cataclysm like powers stretched onto a rock piece that was stick out from the ceiling above him.

Reacting quickly, Chat Noir dove to the side to avoid being crushed by the large chunk of rock, only to frown when he didn't hear it crash. Turning around, his chest tightened as he saw Grail standing there with the rock over her head, a smirk on her face.

"You all just don't give up. I'm actually thankful for what you did. Still, to please father..."

She followed up by tossing the rock at Chat Noir, who shot his baton up and vaporised the piece of debris with it, only to receive a vicious punch to the stomach from Grail, sending him flying backwards against a mound of soil. Grail smirked as two Parademons floated above her.

"Do take care of him, please." she ordered calmly.

The Parademons opened fire on Chat Noir, who darted to his feet and ran back the way he came, the laser fire biting away at his feet. Grail turned away from the battle and went towards the direction that would take her back to her father, though she glanced at where the egg like tubes once stood.

"And now that's been taken care of, it's best I get father away from here." she said to herself, her thoughts slightly distant over what had recently came to her mind.

Back with Chat Noir, he found himself back in the company of Ladybug and Wonder Woman, the latter of whom tossed a lassoed Parademon towards Ladybug, who slashed it down with her Ladyblades. She turned to Chat Noir with a concerned loo.

"You okay, Adrien?" she asked in a matching tone, getting a grunt from him.

"Yeah, took care of the pods but we've got more company up ahead!" he said as he blocked a laser blast with his staff.

"Grail?" Ladybug asked in response as she took cover behind a towering rock like pillar to avoid getting shot.

"Yeah and I think daddy dearest isn't far either!" Chat Noir grumbled as he whacked a gun out of an incoming Parademon's hands, only to get rammed in by it. Ladybug quickly took action by jumping onto its back and plunging her Ladyblades into it.

Pulling them backwards, this caused the Parademon to let go of Chat Noir and took to the air. Smirking as she saw she gotten control of the creature, Ladybug drove it towards the two incoming from the other side. She rammed her Parademon into the first one and drove it up against the rock like structure, shoving her blades into its chest through the other Parademon, then she backflipped towards the other, swiping away in a single slash that stripped it of its wings, sending it crashing onto the ground below. Chat Noir finished it off by driving his baton up its stomach, cringing as it let out a splatter of drool from its mouth as it was reduced to ashes.

"I'll try to catch up with Grail!" Wonder Woman declared, "She knows we're here and will probably be attempting to flee! I'll try to stop her before she or Darkseid escape!"

"Or bring the whole catacombs down on us!" Ladybug cried.

Wonder Woman ran off towards where Grail had exited the room, guessing that was the way she'd gone. If they were to bring an end to her and Darkseid's terror, then tonight would be the perfect time and she was determined to do it now before anybody else could fall victim to them. Grail was already far ahead due to the time given to her and her super speed. She soon found herself back in the room that her father was inside, where he was sliding a pair of armoured blue gauntlets onto his forearms, clearly getting ready for a fight, while the Miraculous Book was by his feet.

"Oh, my dear daughter. Are the Parademons awake? Ready for battle?" Darkseid asked lightly as he tightened the gauntlets. Grail kept a grim look on her face to hide her pleasure of what was going on, picking up the Miraculous Book.

"I'm afraid the battle has come to us, father. Diana is here with those children and they've destroyed the nest." she informed, holding off the urge to grin, though she was satisfied with the wide eyes on her father's face as he turned to her.

"What? They've found us? How could they?" he asked in slight concern, not usually sounding so .Grail placed the book in her side pouch as she explained to him.

"Diana must have something with her to keep track of us. If we escape to the Ural Mountains now, we might be able to stay a step ahead." Grail replied, taking hold of her father by the shoulder, only for Darkseid to grip her wrist with a more interested look, his concern over the attack now gone.

"You say she's brought the children with her? The ones with the Miraculouses?" he asked with a hint of desire in his voice.

Grail now wished she didn't mention Ladybug and Chat Noir, seeing where her father was getting at.

"Father, we don't have many Parademons protecting us, and you aren't strong enough to take them on." Grail pointed out, trying to put some reason into her father's mind, only for him to take her hand off his shoulder.

"I will be the judge of that, Grail. Just watch." Darkseid said calmly as he walked off towards the door that led him out of the chamber as he picked up the sound of clanking armoured boots in the distance. Grail was tempted to just leave him there for Diana to kick the crap out of, but she knew he'd more than likely walk it off and punish her in some way, and she couldn't let him do that, not while she had a new plan being formed in her head.

"Father!" she called, darting after the childlike Apokaliptian leader as he turned to the other way. Getting behind him, Grail caught sight of Wonder Woman storming towards them, her lasso ready.

"Darkseid! You're coming with me!" she declared, shooting out her lasso to ensnare him with it.

Before Grail could do anything, Darkseid calmly caught hold of the lasso and smirked at the Amazon.

"Afraid not, princess of the Amazons." he taunted as his eyes glowed brightened up and fired down on the lasso, covering it in hot burning energy that shot back to Wonder Woman, who cried out in agony as the energy zapped across her arm and bit her all over like a billion snakes biting at the same time.

The glow died down and Wonder Woman dropped to her knees, her body stinging from the attack Darkseid just delivered. Grail was too shocked to say anything as her father tossed the lasso aside and stamped his foot down onto the floor, sending a big lump of debris coming out a foot in front of him. Darkseid then simply whacked it towards Wonder Woman, causing it to bash right into her and send her crashing onto her back. Wonder Woman grimaced in pain, amazed that despite looking like a child, Darkseid was already powerful enough to knock her across the room without breaking a sweat. What had Grail been doing to him to make him so powerful at this early stage? The Amazon picked herself up, trying to ease the pain in her body as her juvenile-stage opponent approached her in his typical hands-behind-back stance. Darkseid grinned confidently, clearly believing himself to be in his element with no way he could be beaten. Even with his face looking much younger, the grin still looked hideous and arrogant. It was like nothing had changed for the Apokaliptian ruler.

"Do not be so foolish as to believe my younger state has sullied my battle prowess in anyway Diana." Darkseid sneered, "I may still yet to achieve my former power, but what I have now is sufficient enough to make even the Princess of the Amazons quake in fear before me!"

"Do I look like I'm quaking in fear?!" Wonder Woman retorted, "You didn't scare me before Darkseid and you certainly don't scare me now! You're not at full power, which means I maybe all that's needed to take you down once and for all!"

"A bold claim. Can't wait to see if you can back it up..." the Apokaliptian crowed.

He then shot forward towards Wonder Woman as if he'd been fired out of a gun. One advantage of his younger state was that he was a little faster than he had been before. Wonder Woman barely even registered the fact he'd moved by the time Darkseid slammed into her. As she was sent reeling backwards from the charge, she was still just comprehending what had happened. She hit the ground heavily, wincing in pain as her back sharply connected with the solid stone floor. Even Grail couldn't believe how fast her father had moved. Darkseid wasn't particularly known for his speed.

The Apokaliptian world ruler chuckled with glee, jumping towards Wonder Woman with both fists clenched together. He swung them down as he closed in on the warrior woman, but he missed as she rolled to the side. Wonder Woman felt the impact of Darkseid's slam on the ground, dust kicking up in her face and the ground cracking just beside her. Thank Hera she hadn't been lying in that spot a second or two longer! Before Darkseid could regain himself, Wonder Woman clasped both of her fists together and swung them hard into the side of her opponent's face. She hit him so hard that he spiralled away, staggering into a wall as if he was drunk. Had he been at full power, that punch wouldn't have hurt him anywhere near as much. This made Wonder Woman smile a little, pleased to see that her attacks had more effect on him at this stage. Darkseid stood away from the wall, rubbing his head and trying to figure out what just happened before Wonder Woman grabbed him by the shoulders and kneed him hard in the gut. As he doubled over, the Amazon spun around and roundhouse kicked him onto the floor. The grey-skinned New God grimaced as he hit the ground, but he quickly stood up again and cracked his knuckles.

"Wonderful. You ARE able to give me a good fight after all. And here I thought the outcome would be no different. This'll make defeating you MUCH more satisfying Diana." he purred.

"Don't get too full of yourself. It'll hurt your ego less when you lose." Wonder Woman scoffed, hoping that her insult would rile him up a little. An angry enemy is a less focused and coordinated enemy and she knew it. Anger was an emotion that was just as likely to cost you a fight as fear was and she'd been trained to exploit those with ill-tempers back on Themiscyra. Hopefully this tactic would work for this fight.

Darkseid, however, simply chuckled as he brushed some dirt off his chest.

"Small insults will do little for you now. I'm tired of them." he assured as his eyes brightened up frighteningly in the darkness.

Already guessing what he was going to do, Wonder Woman quickly shot one arm up to block the incoming Omega Beams with her bracelet as they zipped over at her. The impact drove her back just slightly but not enough to throw her off. However, another pair of red beams was caught in her sight and before she could do anything, Wonder Woman was blasted in the stomach by Grail's Omega Beams, which zigzagged around her in a circular trail, sending her rocketing through the wall next to her, leaving the Amazon princess in a small pile of rubble. Darkseid was pleased with this fight back to even notice a large rift popping across the ceiling. Looking to his daughter, he smiled at her.

"Impressive as ever, my daughter. Now bring me her heart. I'm sure such a gift for the Justice League will leave them devastated." he pointed out as he threw his eyes upon the dazed form of Wonder Woman as she tried to pick herself up. Grail smiled delightfully, already going for her hooked knife.

"Oh it'll be a dream becoming reality, father." she gladly said as she began to make her way towards the Amazon, too excited to notice the rift was getting longer...

Back with Ladybug and Chat Noir just far back in the opening from where Wonder Woman was, they had made short work of two other Parademons that were trying to ensnare them, but in doing so they heard the loud explosion of the structure that Grail made in blasting Wonder Woman. Ladybug was nearly hit by a single blast from a Parademon, dodging at the last second and took cover behind another large stone like pillar, while Chat Noir crouched low behind a mound.

"That didn't sound good! How many of these things you think there are left?" She called to Chat Noir, who peaked over the mound to look.

"About five left, M'Lady!" he called over to her. Glancing behind her, Ladybug spun a blade in her hand and tossed it at one of the Parademons, slicing it down in seconds. Catching the blade as it spun back to her, Ladybug looked to her boyfriend with a confident look.

"Make that four! You handle them, I'll get Diana!" she yelled as she leapt through the air, not noticing the shocked look on Chat Noir's face as she ran towards the path where she saw Wonder Woman go down to.

"What!? M-Marinette, wait-AGH!" he was cut off as collective blast of laser fire grazed over his head, sending him stumbling to his knees. The feline themed hero was then knocked onto his front by a Parademon, who wrapped its huge claws around his body and began to lift him to the air.

Getting frustrated to be in a similar situation again, Chat Noir waved one arm into the face of the creature, his claws sharpened enough to tear into the creature's skin. It wasn't enough, so he resorted to driving them into it's shoulder, making it let out a squeal of pain to the point where it lost hold of Chat Noir, who gripped hold of the creature's shoulder and slammed his staff's tip's right into the face of the winged creature, turning it into small plumes of dust and allowed the blonde hero to drop to the ground, rolling to his feet with a deep frown on his face.

"For the love of, she shouldn't go alone!" He yelled in discomfort as he slashed his staff down onto another Parademon, killing it right away, following up with a well aimed kick to the next one's gun arm, making it fire a shot into the one next to it, leaving only that one left.

Chat Noir just quickly took it down with a fast whack to it's chest, running through the collapsing dust of the creature as he ran after where he saw Ladybug go to.

Just as this happened, Wonder Woman darted back to her feet and tossed a large chunk of rock towards Grail, who quickly blasted it with her red laser beams, only for Wonder Woman to follow up with a kick up the chin and followed it with a deep double fisted slam to Grail's head and then drove her armoured knee into her face, sending Grail flying towards her father's feet. He didn't look too happy with what he was seeing, yet he didn't see the shocked look on his daughter's face.

"I'm not liking what I'm seeing, daughter." he told her in a stern tone.

"Neither am I, father, look out!" she cried as she took in the growing tear in the ceiling above them both. Before Darkseid could even take in what she said as well as the collapsing ceiling, Grail kicked him in the chest to send him flying back down the path that took him to his private room, leaving the young ruler slightly dazed at his daughter's actions.

He held back a gasp as the huge chunks of rock and skeletal remains fell in between him and his daughter, separating them by about thirty five feet.

Wonder Woman was stunned at what just happened to even hear the voice of the young Parisian heroine coming towards from behind, but Grail took it in as she stood up from the dust like clouds that filled the air. She smirked as she turned around, the image of Ladybug coming towards them.

"Diana! You okay!?" Ladybug called out to the Amazon as she neared her, only to stop as she caught the glowing red eyes just in front of the Amazon, who suddenly regained her senses but almost too late as Grail fired her Omega Beams at a frightening speed. Wonder Woman rammed into Grail but while it made her lose hold of the beams, the remainder still came at Ladybug, who went to shield herself with the Ladyblades, only for Chat Noir to dart around her and spin his staff around in a circular move, allowing the blast to dissipate.

He gave her a pained look that clearly told the dotted heroine he wasn't exactly happy.

"Next time you run off, make sure your not going up against a demon on your own. Or let your boyfriend nearly get shot." he explained as Wonder Woman wrestled with Grail behind him, while Ladybug blushed nervously as it hit her that leaving him like that wasn't the best idea.

"Y-Yeah...I'll keep that in mind" she agreed before they both turned towards the two battling women.

Grail tried to slash Wonder Woman across the chest with her hooked knife, only for the princess to whack it out of her hand with a deflecting forearm and swung her foot back into one of Grail's, making her lose her balance. Wonder Woman than grabbed hold of Grail's waist belt and tossed her through the air over Ladybug and Chat Noir, only for the grey skinned hybrid to land on her feet behind them.

Turning to her, Ladybug ducked an incoming kick from Grail, while Chat Noir swiped at her with his staff. Grail blocked it and slid underneath him, dropping a kick onto his back that sent him stumbling into his girlfriend, both of them nearly losing their own balance as Grail stormed towards Wonder Woman with hot anger running through her.

She then punched Wonder Woman in the right cheek, Causing a splatter of blood to spray out of her mouth, but the Amazon fought back by catching Grail's other fist and twisted it, pulling her forward and slamming her head right into Grail's, making her stumble back in a daze, allowing Ladybug to slash her across the back with her Ladyblades, leaving two cuts trailing downwards.

As Grail gasped in pain and nearly dropped to her knees, Wonder Woman kicked her in the face that sent her flying into the wall nearest to her. Moving at a speed that could rival Flash's, Wonder Woman rammed her forearm into Grail's neck, holding her there as tightly as she could, not enough to kill her but enough to keep her from getting loose. The Amazon also placed her other hand over Grail's eyes and slid her lids shut to stop her from firing her Omega Beams.

Ladybug and Chat Noir joined the Amazon's side as Grail clawed at her bracelet, trying to get it off. The sight of Grail losing was enough to brighten their mood, Ladybug smirking at Wonder Woman.

"Looks like your plan was right, Diana. Guess we'll be handing her over to the Justice League soon!" she said lightly as her Ladyblades turned back into her yoyo, grabbing the object tightly as she saw the Miraculous Book in Grail's side pouch.

"And we'll be taking that, thanks." she added as she went to ensnare the book with her yoyo.

"Don't do anything yet, Marinette. Wait until she's unconscious, because she's still a threat like this" Wonder Woman then said, trying to make sure Grail would stop resisting. The Amazon Apokaliptian hybrid then smirked as she struggled to breathe.

"Oh...y-you forgotten...someone" she gotten out, making Wonder Woman's eyes widen while the two Parisians frowned in response.

"Oh no".

It was the only thing Wonder Woman gotten to say before the rock pile blocking the path next to them exploded, the chunks of debris and remains all reduced to smaller pieces of stone that shot into the heroes, throwing them back and sending them crashing across the ground, a huge cloud of dirt and dust coming over them as well as pieces of debris scattered over them.

Coughing as to get rid of the gross dust that gotten in her mouth, Ladybug looked up and almost felt her heart stop as the small figure of Darkseid took her sight, his eyes glowing dangerously having just blasted the rocks away, his hands behind his back and a small smile on his rifted, torn face. Ladybug could just see that, even as a child, this was a person that held no good to him, just evil and cruelty all over him, something that almost matched Joker's but this sent a frightening shiver that hit her heart. She didn't want to see him become an adult, that was for sure. She was glad the ointment she and Chat Noir used to hide their Miraculouses had worked and that he wouldn't be able to see them or use them.

Darkseid slowly walked through, his footsteps soft but imposing as he gotten closer, filling a sense of fear in the two lovers as they tried to pick themselves up. His eyes laid on Ladybug and Chat Noir As Grail came to his side.

"So, these are the heroes of the city above us? I have to say, they look ridiculous. Almost disappointed these are the looks their Miraculouses give them despite the power they have." he spoke in a slightly teasing tone, yet it's graveness did nothing but make Ladybug and Chat Noir freeze into where they were. They never heard such a voice before, especially from a child.

Wonder Woman, however, wasn't concerned or shocked by this. She picked herself up and her lasso was ready, clearly still up for a fight, making Darkseid smirk.

"Truly an Amazon until the end. A shame she doesn't set a good example for them." he said to Grail as his eyes began to light up, ready to continue the fight.

Grail, however, had other plans. She quickly threw her hand over Darkseid's eyes, making his mouth open in confusion while the heroes frowned.

"Daughter, what are you doing?" he asked in a slightly calm tone as Grail's own eyes began to glow.

"We can't fight here, father, not anymore!" she yelled as her Omega Beams fired across the ground between her and the heroes, bringing up a lot of dust to form a cloud that blocked the heroes' vision.

Trying to wave her way through the cloud, Wonder Woman readied her lasso but felt her heart stop as she heard a familiar booming sound up ahead past the cloud. Already knowing what was happening, the Amazon shot through the dust at great speed, managing to split a line through the cloud but wasn't fast enough as she could see the light of the Boom Tube closing as she neared it. She skid to a stop as it disappeared from her eyes, seeing there would be no point in trying to jump in after it.

Ladybug and Chat Noir quickly joined her side, dust and dirt still resting over them and making a great mess of their outfits.

"Where did they go?" Chat Noir asked in shock as he took in the lack of sight of Grail and Darkseid.

"They escaped through a Boom Tube, Adrien. I'm sorry." Wonder Woman said in a low tone, her face lowering in shame over not being quick enough to get both of the Apokaliptian monsters. Ladybug still had a more hopeful look to her as she turned to Wonder Woman, her eyes still full of determination.

"A Boom Tube. It's simple, really, we just Boom Tube after them, find the nearest trace of Apokaliptian energy." she said, sounding sure of what they had to do.

Wonder Woman looked unsure though, her eyes looking to Ladybug's.

"We could, but it's where they could be that worries me, Marinette. They might have gone to another populated area to threaten, putting more civilians at risk, and I can't imagine we will be any good in trying to protect them after what happened on the surface". the Amazon replied, her voice clearly lacking the confidence she had earlier.

Chat Noir than put his hands up to exaggerate his trying at calming things down.

"Okay, hang on, let's just think things over. She hid this Parademon nest underneath Paris, right? I can't imagine there'd be any other big underground tunnels like this, and she would want to keep a low profile from the Justice League, you get where I'm going?" he asked as he tried to explain it all to them, getting an interested look from Wonder Woman.

"Yes I do. Keep going." she replied as she wanted to hear him out, Ladybug listened to her boyfriend with as much interest.

"Good. So wherever she's gone, she's probably gone to an isolated place, somewhere out in the wild where there won't be any people for her to worry about. And why did she decide to grab Darkseid and run?" Chat Noir then added, getting a nod from Ladybug.

"Yeah, she could've let him kill us and take our Miraculouses, wonder why she didn't let him do it?" she replied with her own question.

"Yes...I can see what you mean. If we all ended up fighting Darkseid, the entire tunnel would've collapsed but it would caused a big shockwave that could've brought the whole of Paris down with it. Grail doesn't want something as destructive as that because it'll bring not just the Justice League but many Green Lanterns here too. It would've ruined her plan." the Amazon then said as she let Chat Noir's own insight on this settle in. She gave him a smile and gestures at Marinette.

"Glad to see Plagg's silliness hasn't affected you, Adrien. That was really helpful." she said gladly, getting a shy blush from the blonde superhero.

"I, um, try to be helpful. Thanks. Still, before we go, should we just check the surface to make sure that nothing that happened down here affected up there?" he then suggested.

"Good thinking. And hopefully by the time has passed, the tracer can lock onto the nearest Apokaliptian energy." Wonder Woman said in a calm tone, now sounding more confident after hearing out Chat Noir's outlook on the whole situation as she gotten out her com. She could clearly see these two were worthy heroes and worked well in both strength and mind, and she was glad to be in their company. It was no wonder to her that Master Fu chosen Marinette and Adrien to be Ladybug and Chat Noir, and part of her felt she should find Master Fu by the end of this to thank him for handling Tikki with such care.

As she gave the order to Chrome Stone to Boom Tube them to the surface, Wonder Woman began to think over how Master Fu was coping with John Constantine...


Back at Master Fu's...

"Look, are you sure you don't want any? Mixed in with the finest fish muscles of the Southern Sea can help give you the strength of a twenty to thirty year old, like me."

"For the last time I will not take anything from that filthy coat of yours! For all I know you're trying to kill me!" Master Fu cried as he gotten another stench of smoke in his face as Constantine was holding a bottle of some sort of alcohol in his hands along with tinned food of fish muscles. John just smirked cruelly as he tapped a little amount of cigarette ash into a nearby cup, making Wayzz frown in disgust.

"Suit yourself. They keep me nice and healthy, you should try it out." he suggested as he relaxed back into the sofa nearby, getting a glare off of Wayzz.

"I hope the Spirit of Truth will lock you away somewhere as soon as she gets back, Constantine, you should show respect to someone when in their own home." the green Kwami spoke down at the blonde haired man, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever, mate. Wherever I go, I own the place, in and out. You should check out the places I go to, might learn something." he said bluntly, getting Wayzz to shake his head.

"Anywhere with you? Not in the next billion years." he replied as he floated back to Master Fu to ease the pillow on his back while Nooroo looked at Constantine with a lot of uncertainty.

"I still don't know why that Mister Wayne chose you to teach Adrien more of his powers. Master Fu would've been just fine in doing so." he said softly, only for Constantine to roll his eyes.

"Oh yeah, same guy who knew about Gabriel being Hawk Moth decided to give little Adrien a Miraculous but didn't tell him why. Such a clever idea said no one accept for Austruc." came the sarcastic reply of the occult detective, making the three frown at him.

"Austruc?" asked Master Fu, getting a shrug from Constantine.

"Oh it doesn't matter, but that's what you get for being in a world like this." Constantine explained, making the three even more confused.

Master Fu groaned as he then sat up, his mind having been in deep thought despite Constantine bothering him so much.

"John, listen...as much as I don't like you, I know deep down you are a man who loves life and want to see the best in humanity. And I think that's why you decided to help Adrien, because you see a lot of good in him. He gives you hope, if I'm right in guessing that." the old Chinese man said in a levelled tone, not wanting to give Constantine the impression he was going soft on him.

Constantine smiled.

"And there's another piece of detail about me covered to be more basic". he said lightly as he then brought himself forward, "So, what are you getting at, Fu Fu? This is going somewhere." he pointed out as he listened to what Master Fu had to say.

The old Asian man sighed as he knew he'd be expressing so much to a man he didn't like.

"You are right. I should've handled things better with Adrien. I should've made contact with him as I did with Marinette. Because now I've seen just how much I could've helped Adrien after all the damage that has happened. I want to make things right to him, and...I need your help in doing that." he gotten out the last set of words with a lot of reluctance, avoiding the satisfied look on Constantine's face.

"Oh, I see. Swallowing it all up now, hmm? Turning to good Constantine for a little help to get Adrien on side, yeah? I'm all in, what is it then?" he asked in such a smug tone was filled with the deep cloud of smoke that floated out of his mouth. Nooroo and Wayzz looked horrified at this and shot to Master Fu's side.

"But Master, you want him to help you!? Him of all people!?" Wayzz asked, his voice almost going over its levels.

"He's not nice, Master, please don't go with him!" pleaded Nooroo, only for Master Fu to wave it all off.

"Nooroo, Wayzz, believe me, I don't feel up to doing this either, but what I want done is something that requires Constantine's expertise. Him being a con artist after all." he pointed out, getting an almost offended look from Constantine.

"Oh come on, I'm a con artist with a good heart! I don't blackmail spirits for nothing, need I remind you! I do it for the good of humanity!" he cried as he placed a hand over his heart as if it was bleeding, before getting back into a serious attitude.

"Still, what exactly do you need me to do, Fu Fu? If it's for Adrien, I'm all for it, just tell me." He asked with a look that told Master Fu Constantine would do it.

"I need you to sneak into the police station. They have something there that could be of a lot of help for Adrien in finding his mother..." he explained.


The Parademon nest is destroyed and Darkseid & Grail are on the run. Our heroes aren't going to let them escape though. Something tells me they'll soon be fighting them again very soon. And it seems Master Fu and John Constantine will be getting up to something. What is it that could be a lot of help for Adrien to find his mother and will they get it? Will the world be ready for Darkseid should he be restored to full power?

Tune in next time for the answers to all these questions...