Xander moved up the stairwell three stairs at a time, desperate to reach the top before some drastic occurred that resulted in him failing the trial. His memory of the past exact, and the plans for his Mk. I and etched in memory, his forearms suddenly morphed into two different weapons. The right into a large energy-axe and the left into an automatic energy blaster, which he was not afraid to use as he unleashed an array of blasts towards the army of flying creatures heading his way.
He slid beneath a large piece of rubble that resembled a fallen pillar, spinning to the left as he narrowly avoided a spear to the chest. Xander charged forward, his attention on the large man standing on top of the extremely large ship. His legs carried him all the way to the edge of the island, where he intended to jump, only to hear someone call out his name. "Xander!" The man in question spun around to find Diana and Donna rushing towards him, both in two different outfits. Diana in her Wonder Woman outfit, and Donna in her Darkstar outfit. "What the hell's happening?"
"It's Steppenwolf," Diana replied, motioning with her sword to the man in question, who gazed back at them with a grin. "And his army of Parademons. They've invaded three dozen times in the past ten thousand years, and it appears that they will be a part of your trials I'm sure," She explained, receiving a thoughtful nod from Xander as he examined the skyline. He knew Diana and Donna could fly, but his suit was nowhere advanced enough to take flight, which meant he would need a ride. Good thing these Parademons flew through tech-wings, which appeared to be conveniently compatible with his tech.
"Well, what are we doing standing here? Let's kill this son of a bitch!" Xander yelled as he rushed towards a squad of Parademons, who had surrounded a small group of armed women. He slid into the circle, swinging wide as the warrior women ducked. Xander was able to take down four of the seven before he was kicked in the side. Hard. Even though his armor was durable, the kick sent him staggering, which allowed the three Parademons to swarm him. They kicked, punched, attempted to stab, and shot him. Having had enough, he fired shots at the two to his right, before kicking out the last one's legs, sending it to the ground.
He performed a kick-up, getting to his feet before shooting the creature in the head. Annoyed, he detached the jet-wings and attached them to his own suit. Using his hand-repulsors, Xander took off into the sky, trying his best to get used to the technique as he flew towards the ship, his gaze falling on the fight between Diana and the man Steppenwolf. Donna was nowhere in sight. Landing on the ship's hull, Xander turned his left forearm into a shield, before turning the right into a double-sided axe. "Where's Donna?!" Xander exclaimed, landing a kick to Steppenwolf's knee, before matching it with a shield upper-cut to the chin. Diana growled, her bracelets taking a punch from Steppenwolf before she replied. "She's in the ship! Trying to shut it down!" Xander nodded, understanding that that was the easiest option given the situation. After all, there was a chance that this was a Phantom Menace situation in which the Parademons would die if their mothership was destroyed.
"You fools! You cannot destroy my ship," Steppenwolf spoke with a raspy voice, swatting Diana away as she fell down the ship, only remaining on via the Lasso of Truth, which she had quickly wrapped around one of the ship's outer vents. The man/thing turned, trying to land a punch on Xander, who spun out of the way before slicing the man's hand with his axe. It wasn't much damage, but it seemed to spook Steppenwolf enough for him to back off a bit. "Ugh! Why has a man come to fight me? I thought Themyscira forbade men from being on the island!" Steppenwolf exclaimed before removing a sword from...somewhere.
He brought it down on Xander, who was only barely able to block it with his shield, before being kicked in the stomach. The kick was so powerful that it sent him flying, his nanites returning to their original state as he rolled over the wing. Xander's body fell over said wing, his arms narrowly missing a small vent as he hung off of the side. "So naive, mortal, to think you can beat Steppenwolf. I will finish mother's mission, and bring annihilation to this universe, and everyone in it. Even if that includes ME!" The man brought his sword up, before bringing it right down on Xander's head. The impact overloaded his senses, causing him to become disorientated. His head was then kicked by Steppenwolf, causing him to lose his grip on the ship.
Falling through the air, he caught sight of the sky to see that a storm was brewing. Xander wasn't sure if it was a normal storm, or if it was the Speed Force conveying he was near failure, which was not an option. Coming back to his senses, Xander shot through the air inches above the water, regaining his ability to actually move as he soared back up to the ship, where Diana had continued the fight with Steppenwolf. Abandoning the shield tactic, he decided to go with two offensive weapons. His right forearm and hand morphed into the same axe as before, while his left arm and forearm turned into an energy mallet.
He landed on the ship, sprinting towards the two before he decided to slide between Steppenwolf's legs. Xander spun around, his axe slashing Steppenwolf's leg before he tried to go for the head. His right hand was caught by Steppenwolf however, but not all was lost as Xander sent his energy mallet directly into the man's ribs, a deadly 'CRACK!' ensued, followed by a loud scream by Steppenwolf. Xander wrenched the axe from the man's hand, before cutting off Steppenwolf's left hand, which carried a large broadsword. "AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" Steppenwolf exclaimed in anger and pain, before punching Xander away and into Diana. The two tumbled off of the ship, where they were forced to recover through flight.
They were about to return when Donna's voice rang through their comms. "I've overloaded the drive! I'm leaving now, but you two need to get away now!" Xander and Diana exchanged a worried glance before the two-shot off at high speeds back to the island. Venturing to look back, Xander could spot an angry Steppenwolf stepping towards the edge of the ship, his right arm missing. He also noticed that there seemed to be a large energy build-up beneath the ship. "Donna!? Are you out?! Donna! Are you there? Do-" He was ultimately interrupted by an overload of large proportions. The blast's shockwave sent Xander and Diana flying through the air, only this time the two could not control their bodies as they crashed back onto the island's surface, rolling on the ground before slamming into a wall. "DONNA!" Diana exclaimed as the two got to their feet.
Xander examined the situation and watched as the wreckage from the ship fell into the ocean, with no Steppenwolf or Donna in sight. She hadn't made it out. There was no time to mourn, however, as a large piece of shrapnel flew into view. With his speed, he would have easily been able to dodge the incoming spear/shrapnel, but without his speed, the spear/shrapnel collided right into the chest, ripping through his armor before going through him. He was sent to the ground, yelling in pain as he clutched the shrapnel. He could see someone crash into the ground, and through the corner of his eye, he could see Diana get swatted away into another nearby wall. Xander was going to call out to her but was unable to do so as a foot came down on his chest, stepping down onto the shrapnel, which buried even deeper into his chest, puncturing one of his lungs as he cried out in pain. The storm had gotten even worse, with the wind picking up, and the lightning was going off every three seconds, striking both Amazons and Parademons, killing many.
The foot of Steppenwolf only pushed deeper, sending the shrapnel through his back and into the ground, sending blood everywhere as a puddle formed. "Your death will bring me great joy, mortal. And will show everyone in Themyscira that even a man cannot save them," Steppenwolf spoke as he reached down for the piece of shrapnel. Xander coughed up blood, his mouth overflowing as he began to choke. His gaze fell on the sky, looking for a moment of peace before he was either impaled or choked on his own blood. It was then when a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky towards him.
The golden lightning moved right past Steppenwolf, and Xander could almost make out a figure within the lightning, wearing a grey and black suit. It was his time remnant. The one that he had created when leaving the Speed Force for 2049 four years before. Xander had sent it deeper into the Speed Force to learn as much as possible, and to gain more information about the entity itself. The golden lightning bolt struck him straight in the chest, sending a massive amount of energy through him as the Speed and Infinitude Force entered and spread through him at once. He vibrates his molecules at the speed of light, healing them before the Speed Force was ripped out of him by the Speed Force itself, leaving just the Infinitude Force and the new nanites that had entered his body after the sacrifice of his time remnant. Using his newfound health and power, Xander spun around, kicking Steppenwolf in the ribs, before landing an uppercut to the man's jaw. The two blows sent Steppenwolf onto his back before he rolled over. His left hand came out of his armor as he spun around, his sword in hand as the sword moved right towards Xander's head.
The move didn't go as planned though, seeing as Diana had recovered and had thrown the Lasso of Truth around Steppenwolf's wrist, pulling the arm back as the broadsword fell from his hand. Xander took the opportunity to convert his armor back to his much more superior Mk. I armor. His A.I, Evelyn, spoke to him as the HUD came up. "Well, it's good to see you, Xander. What's the situation?" She asked as Xander swept into action. He cut off Steppenwolf's hand with a micro-laser, before chopping off his leg with an energy blade. In the span of a second, he activated his railgun, and shot Steppenwolf directly between the eyes, sending the man flying and tumbling off of the island and to an unknown fate.
"Well. Alien invasion, beast-man, almost died, and we lost someone," Xander replied to his A. I before examining where the ship and Donna had been. He turned to Diana, who had fallen to her knee after Xander had cut off her hold on Steppenwolf's wrist. They were now joined by Hippolyta, Antiope, Artemis, and Cassie, who all appeared to have sustained injury during the battle, but all seemed otherwise alright. "Congratulations on getting lucky, Xander. It won't happen again. Your second trial will begin in one minute," The Speed Force spoke, pulling Xander out of his thoughts.
One minute? He approached the five women and made his presence known. "I have completed my first trial, and for that, I thank you," Xander spoke, his cowl dissolving to reveal his face. "I have only a few moments left until I am whisked away. It's time I return my half of the deal," He held out his fist, and fired off a million nanites, sending a large chunk off towards the metal-smithing facility. The nanites would form into Nano-Amazonium, which would be much stronger than the original metal. The only reason his armor had been penetrated was because it seemed that Steppenwolf's ship was made of a much stronger metal. "You'll now find an even stronger batch of Nano-Amazonium within your metal-smithing yard. If you need more...well...if I survive the next two tasks, come find me,"
Diana smiled and moved forward, placing a kiss on his lips before the others - besides Antiope - did the same. It was Hippolyta who spoke. "We hope for your return, Xander. Stay safe, and stay strong," Those were the last words he heard before his entire body began to disintegrate into a bright blue dust. His arm, then leg, then the other leg and arm, torso, and finally his head, leaving nothing there as if he hadn't existed in the first place, leaving the six women alone on the edge of the mystical island.
Unknown Date | Unknown Location | Trial 2 of 3.5 | POV: Alexander Morue
Xander reappeared in the middle of what appeared to be a large arena, which was filled with spectators and arena officials wearing black and blue uniforms. They appeared...fake. As if they were figments of his imagination. As he looked around, the entire arena and the sky above him seemed completely fake, almost like they had been painted onto a canvas, which had then been turned halfway between 2D and 3D. The only thing that felt somewhat real was the dirt beneath his feet, which had the same texture and feel as the dirt on Themyscira. Where was he? "Battleworld" The Speed Force answered. "Survive the arena, and you will begin the second part of this trial" The entity added. Second part? Since when were there parts in a trial.
"Well, well, well! It seems an individual has sadly teleported into the arena, which means he is our next competitor!" A voice rang out throughout the arena, causing the fake audience to scream in joy as a gigantic man stood over the arena. He appeared to be the size of the arena if its length was vertical instead of horizontal. The man looked down on him and smiled. "Challenger! What is your name! And what is your request?" The man asked as Xander frowned. Request?
"The name's Phantom! And my request...what does a request entail?" Xander asked. The man smiled and leaned down so his face was hovering over the arena. If Xander had not faced Ra's al Ghul, Malcolm Merlyn, the Speed Force, and now Steppenwolf, he would be shitting himself. But at this point, he wasn't phased by much that went against. "If you can defeat the next six challengers, and somehow survive a match with our champion, then you will be given anything you want. And I mean anything. After all, I am the Beyonder," The man, the Beyonder, replied with a cynical grin.
"Right. Well...my request is to receive O-" His voice was drowned out by the crowd, making Xander believe he had gone unheard. However, the Beyonder merely frowned, before giving him an uncertain nod. It seemed he had been heard. The strange entity frowned once more, before putting on a fake smile. "Well then, Phantom. It will be one vs six. If you survive these creatures, who just so happen to be some of the most powerful in this part of the galaxy, then you will be granted one item within our arsenal to help you fight against our champion. Are you ready? No? Oh well. Go!" The Beyonder exclaimed, the cheers from the crowd becoming almost hindering as he readied himself for battle. First Steppenwolf, and now this. The other side of the arena lit up, revealing a large cargo door that suddenly slid open to reveal six individuals. "Our seven competitors! Tyros!" The Beyonder motioned towards the alien to the far left, who looked oddly like Darkseid, only with gold boots, a red and gold costume, and he carried a golden spear. "Blastaar!" The man next to Tyros raised his arms as the crowd cheered. He was a beastly man, his body three times the size of Xanders. His face was covered by his mane of hair, and his body was covered by some sort of blue spandex. Out of all six, these two seemed to be the ones that would give him trouble.
"Toxin and Carnage!" The Beyonder continued, motioning to the identical symbiotes in the middle of the group. One was black and red, while the other appeared to be the opposite, being red and black. Their tentacles were out, swaying in the fake breeze as the Beyonder moved on. "Next we have Cicada II!" The woman in robes extended her arms, sending a beam of energy out of both hands that crashed into the ground. He couldn't see her through her robes, hood, and mask, but he could tell it was a woman through the hair falling out of her hood. "Mr. Freeze!" The robotic-like man nodded, holding a freeze gun that appeared to be connected to his armor. The armor seemed to power his helmet, which contained Mr. Freeze's head, and what Xander could guess was a basic cryogenic chamber that allowed one to remain awake while they seized aging. "And our challenger. Phantom!" The 'crowd' cheered less at his name, forcing him to roll his eyes in annoyance.
"Ok, Evelyn. I need you to give me everything you can on these six. Possible weaknesses, anything I can use," Xander requested as he readied himself for the fight that would ensue within seconds. Evelyn replied within seconds, giving Xander the opportunity to listen as a countdown started. Out of the ten, it took seven seconds for Xander to come up with a plan. He may not be able to use his powers, but he still had an arsenal of weapons and skills within the Mk. I suit and his brain. Three...Two...One…"Let the fight begin!" The Beyonder exclaimed as the fight began.