As the red skies burn throughout the world, Beast Boy and Starfire did their damnest to hold back the horde of demons that tried to get their hands on them and rip their flesh from their very bones. Beast Boy transformed into a T-Rex to stomp away the demons and rip apart the stubborn ones with his very jaws. Starfire used her starbolts to keep them at bay.
However, the demons just kept on coming. Despite giving it everything they had, the duo ended up surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of the defiled, wretched creatures. Trigon, standing thirty stories tall, sat comfortably on a skyscraper and watched them try in vain to survive. Beast Boy transformed back to his human form.
"We… we have to keep Trigon busy no matter WHAT! Raven should have completed her mission by now," Beast Boy said.
"Indeed she must! Never have I fought such a powerful adversary such as him," Starfire said, panting for breath like her newfound love.
A fireball was heading right their way! Beast Boy and Starfire ducked for cover as the fireball zipped past them and slammed right into the earth. The fireball turned out to be human! The person reached into his utility belt and activated his instant fire extinguisher, putting out the fire in a second. Batman's costume was badly singed, but his mask was still intact.
"BATMAN!" Beast Boy and Starfire shouted out simultaneously. The two Titans helped Batman up, but Batman let them know that he still had some fight left in him. Batman panted for breath and stared deathly at who set him on fire.
"Even without your powers, you still put up much of a fight. I must applaud you for your tenacity." Slade, now Deathstroke, walked through the horde of demons and faced what's left of the team.
"Pitiful. There was a time I really thought of you Titans as worthy opponents. Now look at you, tired and beaten. Not even Batman has any fight left. You've lost…"
"NO! You're all going down, Slade! Raven will get Robin back, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Beast Boy retorted.
"Beast Boy!" Starfire shouted, fearing Beast Boy revealed too much. Trigon laughed.
"Did you pitiful mortals really think I wasn't aware of Raven's whereabouts?"
"… you knew?" Beast Boy asked quietly.
"I knew all along that my disgraceful daughter is trying to free her love from the eye of the red storm. I also know that she and Robin will fail in aiding your effort to eradicate me! You've all lost the moment I set foot on your wretched world…"
Batman didn't show any loss of morale from Trigon's revelation, but Beast Boy and Starfire didn't have the nerves of steel the Dark Knight has. The two Titans felt their bodies tremble, seeing how very badly the odds are against them. On one side: hundreds of flesh-tearing demons, a powerful warrior who goes by the name of Deathstroke now, and an immortal demon who has declared the Earth his kingdom. On the other side: two tired teenagers and a badly burned Batman. All seemed lost.
A pair of powerful blue rays blasted away a few hundred demons, reducing them to dust. As another round of laser-fire came about, Deathstroke, leapt out of harm's way with amazing agility. The demon felt annoyed, got up from his throne and saw where the blast came from. It came from Titans Tower! Cyborg was plugged into the tower and had a huge pair of laser cannons mounted to his shoulders!
"You shouldn't count me out just yet, you BASTARD!" Cyborg shouted. Seeing Cyborg trying to turn the tide, Batman, Beast Boy, and Starfire summoned all the spirit they had left and fought on. After unleashing a third barrage of blasts at the demonic army, Cyborg set his cannons right at the demon's head and turned up the power-level of his cannons to FRAG!
"EAT THIS!" Cyborg pulled the trigger and unleashed the most ferocious blast of all. The lasers hit Trigon dead-aim in the head, right between the eyes. The demons' head whipped back from the incredible firepower summoned by the entire Tower.
"BOOYAH!" Cyborg cheered. However, the celebration was very short-lived when a red fiery blast headed right his way. On impact, the red blast annihilated Titans Tower, shattering it to thousands of fiery pieces.
"CYBORG!" Beast Boy and Starfire screamed. Trigon turned his fist away from the tower and now aimed it right at the fighting trio. The three heroes stared up at Trigon defiantly.
"I've had enough of your futile attempt to dethrone me, puny ones. Now be obedient to follow this one command: DIE!" Trigon unleashed a red fiery blast at the three, and the blast hit its target, causing a monstrous explosion and shaking the earth!
However, when the dust settled, the three were unharmed.
"… What's the meaning of this?" An invisible forcefield surrounded the beaten heroes, protecting them from anymore harm. The blast from Trigon was good enough to reduce a mountain to rubble, but the great forcefield proved the blast to be nothing at all! The forcefield formed into a bubble and gently floated away from Trigon, taking the three heroes away from him like a caring mother. The forcefield carrying the heroes gently landed next to the one who created it in the first place. The young beautiful woman had fair skin, and her long purple hair flowed wonderfully with the wind. Despite how ugly the world turned out to be, her white cape flowed elegantly nonetheless. When the forcefield deactivated, Raven stood in front of her friends and faced her father defiantly.
"I am the protector of this realm! I will not let you continue your reign any longer, father. I will protect this world if it's the last thing I do!" Raven announced.
Thunder started to roll and the red skies started turning black. Robin in black descended from the skies and gently landed right next to Raven. With most of his shirt ripped away, he let out a growl as he faced Trigon and hundreds of his demons. The demons roared and ran right towards those who dared to defy their master. Robin leapt away from his comrades to give him some distance between himself and his friends, fearing his powers could wipe them out. Robin let out a mighty roar and brought up his hands to the heavens. The earth trembled to his will, causing the demons to lose their balance and fall on their faces. Blue electricity surged all around his body and the golden marks began to grow all around him. Bending to Robin's will, the black skies unleashed a huge barrage of blue lightning and eradicated the horde of demons, leaving them no chance to scream.
Robin looked up at the 30-story tall demon and gave him a deathly glare.
"… I am the annihilator of this realm. The one who will bring an end to your miserable existence! These are your last moments to live…" Robin said. Raven materialized right next to her love. While Raven looked upon Trigon with pity, Robin stared at him with wrath.
"You have abused the power of Scath for the last time, Trigon. The power of Scath was meant for good, but you twisted it to your own will and corrupted it. It's time to set things right," Raven said.
"You have proven to be too great of a threat to this universe. The only way we can guarantee its safety is to forever wipe you away from existence!" Robin announced. The monstrous demon started feeling his heart sink.
"… You've both achieved the true powers of Scath. Somehow, you've purified the scath from within the both of you, especially you Robin. I… I will not let you children destroy everything I've worked so hard for all these years! The power of Scath is MINE!"
The demon let out a terrifying roar.
"I WILL NOT LET A PAIR OF CHILDREN DECIDE MY VERY FATE! SUCH ARROGANCE MUST BE PUNISHED!" Trigon fired a menacing blast from his fists at Robin and Raven. However, Raven quickly brought up her hand and blocked her father's attack with another invisible forcefield. Robin unleashed a blue blast at Trigon and sent him flying five city-blocks into a group of abandoned buildings. The demon got up and roared in frustration. Suddenly, Trigon grinded his teeth and fell to one knee. Clutching his chest, he realized something was wrong.
He was in pain. This was the very first time someone was actually able to hurt him. Then he felt another emotion he thought he would be immune to: fear.
"NO!" Trigon got up and shook off the pain and ran like a raging bull towards Robin and Raven. Trigon brought down his fist towards the two but Raven blocked his attack with a shield-like forcefield. Robin saw an opening and blasted upwards at Trigon's jaw, whipping the demon's head back and slamming his back to the streets. He tried to attack again and again, but to no avail. No matter how Trigon fought the duo, the powerful entities were always one step ahead of him. Raven was the shield. Robin was the sword. Trigon's hold on their world was finally starting slip.
Trigon, feeling blood spilling out of his mouth and nose, tried to get up but he couldn't. Raven's defense was too great, and Robin's wrath was overwhelming. Robin and Raven held hands and looked upon the defeated demon one last time. Raven held up one hand and summoned black shackles. The shackles wrenched his hands to his back and clamped on tight. The shackles then stretched his back and clamped onto his hoofs as well, rendering him completely immobile. Watching him helpless, Robin raised his hand and had the enormous demon levitate to the sky. When the helpless demon was fully levitated, Robin and Raven floated towards him to guarantee his demise.
"…You never knew how to be a father. I wish there could be another way, but you drifted too far into the darkness. You corrupted the power of Scath, you abandoned me, you hurt my friends, and you tortured my love. You leave us no other choice…" Raven said.
"Today will be a day we will celebrate for today you will DIE! Balance will be restored to this world, and your scream will be relished! As I have killed my father, now I shall assist in killing the father of my love! It's time to pay the price…" Robin said mercilessly.
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled as Robin and Raven prepared to deliver the ultimate attack. Raven's eyes started to flash white while Robin's marks of Scath glowed brighter. The gusts of wind grew stronger and it howled for Trigon's death.
"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" Robin and Raven screamed. Out of their bodies, a white dragon emerged and spread its wings. Seeing the demon in sight, the dragon opened its mouth and prepared to blast Trigon to kingdom come. Trigon tried to break free from Raven's shackles, but her powers were too much break free from. The white dragon unleashed a gigantic blast of light at the demon. The demon screamed as the light engulfed him, but he scream slowly died away as the light slowly burned Tirgon to nothingness.
Suddenly, the dragon exploded, engulfing the entire world into light.
"Robin? Robin, say something! Come on, dude! Wake up!"
"Please, dear friend! It is us! Please wake up."
Robin slowly opened his eyes and let out a groan. Beast Boy and Starfire helped him up to his feet.
"Did… did we beat him?" Robin asked.
"Beat him? Dude, you CONQUERED him! That last attack was awesome! You and Raven-"
"Raven? Where's Raven? Is-is she all right?" Robin asked frantically.
"Don't worry, Robin. Your love is alive and well." Batman's words brought relief to him. The Batman carried Raven in his arms and presented her to Robin. Raven slowly opened her eyes and was conscious once more.
"RAVEN!"
"ROBIN!"
Raven leapt out of Batman's arms and ran to her love. Robin and Raven hugged each other in an instant. Robin picked Raven up by her waist and whirled her all around in the air. He put her back on her feet and hugged once more, relieved that everything was over.
"My friends. Have anyone seen Cyborg? I do hope that he didn't suffer the same fate as Titans Tower," Starfire said.
"Don't worry, y'all. I'm still on one piece." Everyone turned their attention to where the voice came from. Cyborg shakily walked to his friends, still recovering from the crumbling Titans Tower. All the Titans gathered around Cyborg and cheered for the end.
Batman watched them celebrate and smiled to himself. The fate of the world was decided by a group of teenagers. To the Dark Knight, they have truly grown.
While Beast Boy picked up Starfire and spun all around, Robin and Raven slowly embraced each other. The red sky was no more, and the sun finally started rising.
"… This must be what Rorek planned all along. He helped us become as one so we can have a better chance of destroying Trigon. And he used us to free the power of Scath from his demonic hands. I'm so glad it's all over." Raven whispered.
"So am I, Raven. So am I…"
The two slowly kissed. Robin's marks of Scath were gone, and Raven's back to her normal pale self. Despite knowing that he no longer has the power Raven wielded, that didn't matter to him one bit. All that mattered was having his love in his arms, kissing her one more time.
A gunshot echoed throughout much of Las Vegas. Raven broke away from Robin's lips and stared helplessly up the sky. The sorceress slowly slipped down from Robin's embrace and started to fall to her knees. Robin's jaw dropped as he tried to help her up, but she still didn't try getting up at all. Robin ended sitting on the ground, Raven still in his arms staring up the sky. Then he felt something warm and liquid-like rubbing on his arms.
It was blood.
"… Raven? RAVEN!" Robin screamed. The Titans heard him and ran to them. All of the Titans were shocked from the sudden twist of fate. None of them were aware of who shot Raven in the back.
"RAVEN! SPEAK TO ME! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Robin pleaded, brushing her hair with his hand. Raven slowly turned her eyes to Robin and weakly placed her hand on Robin's cheek.
"Ro… Robin…" Raven whispered, feeling a tear roll off her eye.
Laughter erupted many meters away from the Titans. Batman whipped his head to see who would be laughing at such a tragic event.
It was Slade, gun sitting nicely in his hand and smoke fizzling out of its muzzle. The Titans shifted their hateful eyes to the assailant.
"Aaaaaah. It's so good to be alive again. I was never a fan for happy endings. Enjoy your victory while you still can, Titans. But don't ever believe that evil can be eliminated. That's why I'm here…"
Still clutching onto Raven, Robin felt a tear stream down his face as he growled and stared coldly at Slade.
"Slade… you…. MONSTER…."
"Spare me the dramatics, Robin. The name is Deathstroke now. Remember it."
In an instant, Deathstroke ran off and left the scene. Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg screamed for blood and went on hot pursuit for Deathstroke. Believing that he wasn't needed in the pursuit, Batman knelt by Robin's side to help comfort both Raven and Robin.
"Robin. I'll get the Batwing. Place as much pressure on the bullet-wound as you can! Take your utility belt and-"
"Batman. She's … she's gone. She's gone…" Batman slowly turned his eyes to Raven. Her eyes were closed, and she smiled. However, Raven was not breathing. Her last tear fell to the earth. Robin felt more tears stream down his eyes as he stared down the lifeless body of Raven. Still, Robin refused to leave her side. Closing his eyes, Robin clung onto Raven and rocked her body. He buried his face into her hair and sobbed, letting his tears mingle with her hair.
Robin raised his head up and cried to the heavens. He let his cries and screams echo throughout the entire city, letting the awakened populace know of his sorrow. A thunderstorm stirred up in the sky and washed the city down with rain, seeming like it was cleansing the city of its demonic infestation. However, the rain could never wash away Robin's agonizing pain. Ignoring the rain, Robin held onto Raven one last time.
"It should have been me. It should have been me…"
… The End