Thoughts

Computer Speech

"Speech"

Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.

Chapter 41: Dawn III: Crescendo

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Billions of lightyears from Earth

"I'll have your heads for…..that?" Astrild's enraged declaration turned into a question as Starro's acolyte quickly realized that she'd been transported somewhere. She glanced around and noticed that the Earth's defenders were nowhere to be found. Her terrain was unfamiliar and left much to be desired. She was in a jungle of some sort that stretched as far as her eyes could see.

This appeared to be a world that her master had yet to conquer. Levitating off the ground, Astrild decided to get a better view of her new locale. She was midway to the sky when her ears picked up on something rustling nearby.

"Who goes th…" A question formed on her lips but died as two figures rolled out of some shrubbery beneath her.

Two bare-chested men were engaged in a strenuous struggle. A long, dark-haired humanoid, who was the larger of the two, held the advantage and bashed the weaker man on the ground with a club. The man repeated the action over and over again until a pool of blood, as thick as wine, drenched the ground. Satisfied that his opponent was no longer breathing, the dark-haired humanoid stood up and pounded his chest in victory. But his celebration was short-lived as a spear struck him from behind, forcing the man onto his knees.

What kind of a world is this? Astrild thought to herself as she watched a new attacker, this one a woman, drag the now lifeless man behind a tree. From a distance, Astrild followed her and watched with great curiosity and disgust as the loinclothed woman chomped on the man's neck and began devouring his flesh. This planet was home to cannibals.

Astrild had found the planet Earth primitive, but the inhabitants of this backwater planet made the Earthlings look like Coluans. Their clothing was archaic, and from what she could summarize so far, they were technologically deficient. She didn't know if that applied to the entire planet or just this small group of people, but she was determined to find out. If this world was indeed as primitive as it looked, then it would be easy to conquer. But on the other hand, it would be nearly impossible for her to find a spaceship and leave whatever system she was in.

Master, I will return to you! And when I do, the Earth's defenders will be the first to pay for this sacrilege!

December 19th

Age 762 (2012), Abandoned Warehouse, Keystone City

"Holy shit, that actually worked!" Hal guffawed in surprise, slapping his knee. "Maybe all that Poseidon talk wasn't just a fantasy."

Aquaman glared at the Green Lantern but ignored the snide remark, instead choosing to walk over to the Flash and assist the speedster to his feet.

"What was that?" Barry asked while grabbing Aquaman's outstretched hand.

"I teleported Astrild to another planet." The Atlantean responded in a nonchalant tone, like it was a completely normal occurrence.

Barry gawked. There was no way Aquaman was being serious. He had to be joking. But as The Flash rose and met the Atlantean at eye level, his placid face denoted no trace of humor. "Oh, you are serious."

"The both of you," Arthur said, glancing back and forth between Hal and Barry, "Are idiots."

"Well, this idiot," Hal said, gesturing towards himself. "Figured out the key to defeating Astrild, so at the very least, you should thank me." The Green Lantern finished his declaration folding his arms as he awaited his applause and gratitude, but he received none.

"At best, you took a wild guess. I've only had this trident for a brief period of time; I would've figured it out eventually." Aquaman didn't appreciate the land dweller's tone. In Atlantis, no one dared to speak to him like that.

"I'm still confused as to what the heck just happened," Barry cut in. He was trying to calm another argument before it began. "From what I understand, Aquaman claims to have teleported Astrild to another planet, but which one?"

"That's not a claim; that's a fact." Aquaman rebuffed.

"I'm not trying to argue; I'm just trying to get a better picture of everything." Barry threw his hands in the air defensively. The speedster just wanted to ensure that Astrild had been taken care of once and for all.

"Yeah, where did you send Astrild to?" Green Lantern asked as he cocked his brow. He'd initially planned on hauling Starro's acolyte back to Oa after their fight, but clearly, that wasn't going to happen now.

"Quite frankly, I don't know."

"YOU DON'T KNOW?" Hal and Barry shouted in unison.

Aquaman sucked his teeth. The king of the seas could feel the onset of a headache. "In my mind's eye, I pictured the most hellish planet that I could imagine. I envisioned that planet being far, very far away, and I assume my trident handled the rest."

"It was honestly that easy?" Hal questioned in disbelief. He'd suggested the idea, but it had arisen out of pure desperation.

"Yes." The Atlantean king said simply. He still couldn't believe it either.

"Whelp, that settles it then." Barry rubbed his hands in satisfaction. It sounded absolutely ludicrous, but then again, so did mind-controlling starfish. "I think our work here is done."

"No, it isn't. We still have to deal with Astrild's master." Aquaman shook his head. The alabaster alien had just been a foot soldier for a more monstrous menace. Astrild had been nearly impossible to defeat, and what more of her master?

"Yeah, of course, totally. I definitely didn't forget about that." Barry nervously chuckled to himself, trying to sound reassuring, but it was clear that neither one of his comrades bought his act.

"Aquaman is right. Starro is even more dangerous than Astrild was. He's an alien despot whose on Oa's most wanted list." Hal said as he summoned his lantern. He was going to need every bit of his ring's power for their next battle.

"So, how are we going to stop him then?" Barry didn't like the sound of their chances.

"This is going to sound extremely cheesy, like a speech from an anime character, but we'll do it with teamwork."

Age 762 (2012), Downtown Keystone City

The veins in Superman's neck bulged as the pain from the Kryptonite surged through his body. Batman could literally see the green space rock poisoning Clark. The man of steel dropped him and Chi-Chi to the ground and attempted to pull the crystal out of his skin but was unable to gather his strength. The Kryptonite's effect was severe, and in the blink of an eye, Superman was a crumpled heap in the middle of the street.

Bruce approached his friend cautiously. Though the Kryptonian was weakened, there was no telling what the starfish on his face would do. Batman removed a Batarang from his utility belt as he stood over Clark. It contained a neurotoxin, just like the one he had thrown a few minutes earlier. With its host now incapacitated, the neurotoxin's effect would be more potent against the parasitic alien.

Batman threw the small Batarang as hard as he could at the starfish. The Batarang landed directly in the center of its eye. The parasite had no mouth, but Bruce swore he heard it squealing in agony, and a few moments later, it slipped off Superman's face. A trail of slime followed the starfish as it attempted to crawl away. Bruce grabbed another Batarang to throw at the parasite but was beat to the punch by Chi-Chi, who fired a Ki beam at it.

"I didn't even hear you get up." Batman said as he watched the starfish instantly get vaporized.

"You weren't supposed to." Chi-Chi smirked and walked over to Bruce. Almost anyone else would have been out of commission from the pounding she had taken from Superman, but she was one tough nut to crack. Batman didn't respond to her, but as Chi-Chi stood next to him, she could tell that he was the tiniest bit impressed underneath his cowl.

The dark knight quickly dashed over to Clark and removed the Kryptonite shard from his neck. Once it was safely back in his utility belt, Bruce lightly tapped the man of steel on the face. "Wake up, Superman, the world needs you."

Clark groggily opened his eyes. Though Bruce had removed the Kryptonite, every part of his body still ached. "Batman? Chi-Chi?" Superman groaned as he slowly lifted his head, rubbing it.

"At your service." Chi-Chi merrily replied. It was good to see that Superman was back to normal.

"What can you remember?" Bruce asked as he knelt on one knee next to Clark. This was the first time that he'd managed to remove one of the starfish from its host.

"I remember Jimmy Olsen putting one of those starfish on my face, but after that, everything else is hazy."

Bruce frowned at Clark's words. Superman didn't remember anything from that point until now? "You don't remember flying from Metropolis to Keystone city? Fighting with Chi-Chi?"

Clark vehemently shook his head. "No. When I was under that thing's control, everything was just…blank. It was almost like I was in a dream."

"That's curious." Chi-Chi mused to herself. Once they defeated Starro and returned the Earth's populace to normal, no one would remember their actions. "We'll definitely have a hard time explaining this to our superiors."

"That's if we can manage to defeat Starro," Batman said as he offered Superman a hand. "We still have one hell of a fight ahead of us."

"But," Clark said, taking Bruce's hand and standing up. "If we work together as a team, there's nothing we can't do."

Age 762 (2012), Keystone City, Industrial Park

The Martian Manhunter grimaced as he landed in the middle of a street. That last punch from Starro had seriously taken a toll on him. J'onn had bought Chi-Chi some much-needed time and had diverted his fight from a crowded part of the city. Starro didn't care where they fought as long as his opponent got to feel his might, and J'onn felt it with every blow that struck him. The conqueror of worlds was an overwhelming force too great for any single opponent to handle, but the Martian would have to do his best until backup arrived.

He wished he could've given Steve a lift to the industrial park, but Starro had ensured that wouldn't be possible. Ever since Chi-Chi had left to fend off Superman, J'onn had been on the defensive. Time and time again, his intangibility saved his life. If not for that ability, he would've been dead a million times over by now. Fortunately, Superman had been saved from Starro's clutches and would be joining the fray any minute now; all J'onn had to do was hold on a bit longer.

"You know your defeat is inevitable; why don't you just give up already, Martian?" Starro arrogantly questioned from up above. He could keep this up all night, but what was the point? "Accept the gloriousness of joining the hive mind."

"Never," It was an easy refusal for J'onn. "I know what you've done to countless worlds, and I will not allow this one to fall to you!"

Starro was caught off guard as the Martian Manhunter suddenly raced towards him, cocking his fist back. J'onn's speed was too great to evade, and the conqueror of worlds was forced to take his attack head-on. The air trembled as J'onn's fist made contact with Starro's helmet. A loud thunderclap ensued, but aside from the raucous noise, nothing happened.

"Pathetic." Starro sneered, his hate-filled red eyes full of disgust.

With a mighty backhand, the tyrant sent the Martian flying. J'onn soared like a comet, eventually crashing into a tree, which thankfully softened his fall before he hit the ground with a hard thud. J'onn quickly gathered himself, knowing that Starro wouldn't grant him any moment of reprieve, but before he could stand, the conqueror was in front of him, glaring down at him. The tyrant lifted his ax and was mid-way through his swing when he suddenly just…stopped.

J'onn was perturbed as he viewed Starro frozen in place. The alien despot's arms twitched, clearly indicating that he was attempting to move, but something was restraining him. Silently thanking whatever was the cause of this, the Martian stood up and floated out of harm's way. As J'onn rose into the air, he saw the cause; an emerald chain was wrapped around Starro's wrists. A Green Lantern had saved him.

"You're even uglier in person." Hal said as he tugged on the chain. His strength wasn't enough to pull Starro back, but with Aquaman's help, the duo managed to drag the alien despot towards them.

"Wow, he's huge!" Barry marveled at the sheer size of the villain. He was easily the most enormous foe that The Flash had ever faced.

"You need to be careful. Starro might appear to be subdued, but that won't last for long." J'onn said as he landed beside Hal.

"Who the hell are you?" The Green Lantern quickly asked as he turned his head.

The Martian sighed. "It'll be easier if I just show you."

Hal, Barry, and Arthur were overwhelmed as numerous images started pouring into their minds. Visions of J'onn's arrival on Earth, his meeting with Batman, and the battle with Starro rushed into their brains. When the Martian finally stopped, all three heroes were left clutching their heads, feeling a pain akin to brain freeze.

"I apologize if that was too much, but I didn't have the time to spare an explanation," J'onn apologized. "Any moment now, Starro will….'

"Starro will kill you all!" The tyrant finished J'onn's sentence as he broke out of Hal's chains. That was precisely what the Martian Manhunter had feared.

The Flash was the first to engage the escaped despot and circled him punching Starro at supersonic speeds. His attacks did nothing. They were like mosquito bites to the conqueror of worlds who lightly swung his ax and sent the speedster tumbling across the road. Aquaman proceeded to charge at him from behind with his trident but was intercepted as Starro's ax blocked it. A tug of war ensued, which Arthur immediately found himself on the losing end of.

The Atlantean king's knees buckled as he struggled to stay upright, but the tyrant's strength was just too much. Hal jumped into the fray conjuring emerald boxing gloves, which diverted Starro's attention at least momentarily. The boxing gloves swung but surprisingly missed as Starro backpedaled out of harm's way. For a man of his size, the alien despot was shockingly nimble.

Doubling down, Hal willed his construct to swing again, but this time Starro shattered the boxing gloves with two quick punches of his own. J'onn phased behind the tyrant before he could retaliate any further. Two lasers spewed from his eyes as the Martian fired at Starro from point-blank range.

"Heat vision?" Hal was perplexed by what he saw but discarded his awe and rushed to assist J'onn, summoning a blast from his lantern ring. Both attacks collided almost simultaneously, and the warriors thought they were making strides, but their hopes were dashed once Starro ran through Hal's energy wave.

"Oh shit." Hal tried to conjure a shield, but it was already too late. A punch to the face sent the Green Lantern sailing like a frisbee.

"Now, back to you," Starro grinned and turned to face J'onn, who had long since ceased his attack. "You're truly a pest."

"Your battle with me isn't over yet!" lightning crackled in the sky as Aquaman raised his trident above his head. He was the king of Atlantis and would not be treated as an afterthought in this fight. J'onn was forced to shield his eyes as golden thunder rained down from the sky. Starro was struck repeatedly as Arthur summoned bolt after electrifying bolt. An ordinary foe would've been burnt to a crisp, but Starro simply remained impassive, not budging an inch as the lightning coursed through his body.

Arthur was eventually forced to stop, dropping to a knee, exasperated from his efforts. But once Aquaman did, he saw that Starro's steaming body was unharmed; there wasn't a scratch on him.

"I-I-Impossible!" Arthur nearly choked on his words. An attack like that would've harmed Astrild; he was sure of it. What type of strength did this creature possess? Starro's eyes flickered towards the king of the seas. He took one step towards the Atlantean before a red torrent of wind encircled him.

Barry ran as fast as his legs could take him. The wind he was generating from his speed would do little to harm the alien despot, but he might be able to suck out his oxygen. The extraterrestrial invader was a walking tank, and physical attacks were essentially useless against him. The ruby hurricane surrounding Starro grew higher, towering into the sky, but its effect was minimal. Starro was still breathing, and from the look on his face, he was highly unimpressed.

The alien despot raised his ax, and with one massive swing, he sliced right through Barry's tornado. The Flash narrowly dodged the blade, viewing it zoom past his face in slow motion, but was sent for a tailspin. If not for J'onn quickly grabbing hold of him, the speedster would've spun entirely out of control.

"That was a valiant effort." The Martian lauded as he released The Flash from his grip.

"But it wasn't enough." Barry sighed. It was the truth. So far, this fight was going down the same path as his previous fight with Astrild.

Retrieving his weapon, Starro grew tired of waiting and went on the attack again. Aquaman was his first victim of choice this time, and the Atlantean's face was greeted with a punch. Another one followed, cracking the ground underneath Arthur and creating a crater. The king of the seas was bleeding now and held onto his trident for dear life. Aquaman beckoned for another lightning strike, but Starro was prepared this time and smacked the trident out of the king's hands.

Unarmed and bleeding, Arthur readied himself for the inevitable. The Flash and J'onn raced to assist their comrade, but a red and blue blur reached him before they could. Starro brought his ax down, ready to end the Atlantean's life, but was befuddled when it was flung back, bouncing off something that shouldn't have existed on this planet.

"You've caused more than enough trouble today."

Superman's eyes tinged red as heat vision blazed from his eyes, and for the first time in this battle, the alien despot was pushed back. It wasn't much, but Starro was forced to dig his heels into the ground to save himself from being completely blown away. But Chi-Chi ensured that the tyrant would be. With a loud scream, the Argus agent released a Kamehameha that illuminated the surrounding area. Like a vacuum, the wave of turquoise energy sucked the tyrant into its radius and streaked off for almost two miles before dissipating as it struck a nearby warehouse.

"He'll be back on his feet any minute now; we have to keep attacking," Batman's gravelly voice said as he landed next to J'onn. The Martian turned to ask him how he'd arrived, but the dark knight responded before he could. "Chi-Chi flew us here."

"And what about Steve?" J'onn could sense his psionic presence nearby but didn't spot the blonde.

"I'm over here." The Argus commander waved from a distance as he walked towards the group. He had Hal Jordan slung over his shoulder as he joined his comrades.

"Are you alright?" J'onn asked in a concerned tone as he faced the Green Lantern.

"My ribs are killing me," Hal grimaced with heavy breaths. "But I'll live." He tried to sound reassuring, but the Martian Manhunter could tell he needed immediate medical assistance.

"Chi-Chi bring some Senzu beans." Steve yelled towards his girlfriend, who was now descending from the sky. She felt like smacking herself; how could she have nearly forgotten?

As she landed, the Ox-King's daughter removed the beans from a pouch in her pocket and began dispersing the beans to those in need. She had seven beans, just enough for everyone present. Everyone readily took one, except for Arthur, who was apprehensive at eating the unknown food item.

"What is this?" Aquaman glared at the juniper bean in his hand. Everyone around him had eaten one, so it seemed safe enough for consumption, but the king needed further reassurance.

"It's a mystical bean with rejuvenating properties. It will heal all your wounds." Chi-Chi summarized as best she could. There was a lot more to it, but the Argus agent didn't have the time to go into detailed description.

Arthur snorted at the woman, seeming doubtful but tossed the Senzu bean into his mouth. As soon as the Atlantean swallowed, he discovered that the woman's words were indeed true. His aches and pains disappeared instantly, and the blood dripping from his face stopped leaking.

"What manner of magic is this?" Arthur marveled as he examined his body. He felt better than he had in months. Looking around at his fellow warriors, he saw that they shared the same sentiment.

"Wow!"

"This is incredible!"

"I need at least a dozen more of these!"

"On Mars, we had nothing like this. Who would've thought that the Earth could contain something this amazing?"

"You'll get used to it after a while." Superman chuckled to himself at the awed reactions of his comrades. This was far from his first encounter with the Senzu beans, but he was still astonished every time he ate one.

"Can we get back to the task at hand?" Batman scowled. Someone had to be the adult and take charge. "Starro hasn't been defeated yet."

"I'm back at full strength now, and I can probably take down that Ghengis Khan wannabe on my own." The Green Lantern flexed his muscles and winked at Chi-Chi, who simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me." Aquaman was equally unamused at Hal's antics.

"We need to coordinate our attacks and work together as a team if we want to have any chance of defeating Starro."

"And who's going to lead us, you? You look too much like Piccolo for my liking." Hal was less than pleased at the idea of some Martian he'd never heard of before today leading the charge. If anything, it should've been him; he was in charge of this sector after all.

"If you feel so inclined, you can lead us then." J'onn mockingly gestured his hands forward for Hal to lead the way. He would ignore that Piccolo comment for the time being.

"Well, it's about time you all started respecting my authority around here," Hal said smugly as he folded his arms over his chest. "I know exactly what to…."

"This is no time for games and dick-measuring, Jordan. I'll be assuming command."

"You?" Hal said indignantly. "You don't even have any powers, and how the hell do you even know my real name?" His lantern ring flared as he pointed it at Bruce.

"Your real name is Jordan? You didn't strike me as a Jordan." Barry mused to himself. That might've been the most interesting nugget of information all day.

"Calm down," Superman said as he jumped in between Hal and Bruce, "We're all on the same side here. I trust Batman with my life, and his tactical genius has rarely if ever failed me." Batman said nothing, but deep down, he appreciated the compliment.

"I guess because you're Superman, we're just supposed to take your word?" Even in Atlantis, tales of Superman's feats reached Arthur's ears. He was a hero to the land dwellers, but he was still no king. "I'm most suited for this task."

"We can finish this debate later," J'onn spoke up. "Starro has returned."And sure enough, the ten-foot-tall behemoth was hovering in the air above the squadron of heroes.

"The floor's all yours, Batman. Show us how it's done and lead us to victory." Hal's words were said snarkily, but he was the tiniest bit interested to see Batman in action.

"Superman and Martian Manhunter, you're our two heaviest hitters. You'll be our first wave of attack." The Martian and the Kryptonian nodded at Bruce's words and took off into the sky.

"And the rest of us are supposed to do what exactly?" Aquaman questioned. He would not idly sit by while others fought for him.

"I need you to…." Batman's voice trailed. "Come to think of it; I don't know your name."

"You can call me Aquaman." Arthur grumbled.

"And I'm The Flash!"

Batman didn't ask for Barry's name; he already knew it. Bruce had been following The Flash's exploits for the past few months, but a formal introduction was always nice, he supposed. "I need the two of you to guard Steve. He's the most important piece of this plan."

"And you'd better protect him with your lives." Chi-Chi warned. She'd be damned if anything happened to Steve.

"And Chi-Chi," Batman flipped around, facing towards her direction. "I need you and The Green Lantern to get ready. When Starro comes knocking, and that's sure to be soon, we'll need you to distract him."

Dragonball DC

Clark and J'onn blitzed Starro. For all the might the tyrant possessed, he was as slow as a snail. Superman took his left side, and the Martian Manhunter took his right side. The duo attacked with speed and precision that would've overwhelmed most Earthly foes, but against Starro, their joint efforts were meaningless. Fists, chops, kicks, it didn't matter what it was; they were all insignificant in the end. Nothing they did dealt any damage.

Superman's frost breath didn't even seem to slow the despot down. From the neck down, Clark's ice had enclosed Starro, but with one effortless arm movement, the conqueror had broken free. It was almost deflating, but J'onn and Superman kept pushing on, knowing full well how much their comrades depended on them. Not just their friends, but the entire planet was relying on them.

J'onn phased out of the way as Starro horizontally swung his ax. Unfortunately, Superman didn't share the Martian's intangibility and took on the brunt of the attack. It didn't significantly damage the Kryptonian, but it still hurt like hell. A giant slash mark was left across his iconic S-Shield. Starro would have to pay for that.

J'onn materialized again, just in time to join Clark as he delivered an uppercut to the tyrant. This time the combined attack was enough to send Starro soaring, at least momentarily. But the duo's victory was short-lived. Starro composed himself in a matter of seconds and redirected his flight path back towards the Kryptonian and Martian. Starro didn't say a word, but his eyes spoke volumes; he was pissed.

With surprising speed, he slammed into Superman. The man of steel was sent tumbling. This must have been what it felt like when he hit an average human. J'onn's arm transformed into something Clark had never seen before. He knew the Martian could shape-shift, but not to this extent. The Martian Manhunter's arm morphed into some sort of snake-like figure.

Its head resembled a cobra, but it bore more teeth than a shark. J'onn's arm stretched like gum and bit down on Starro. With a hard chomp, the snake-like appendage clamped down on Starro's forearm. J'onn retracted his arm and attempted to drag the tyrant towards him. It was a bad idea, and Starro showcased that by not hesitating to chop J'onn's arm off.

"No!"

Superman shrieked in horror as he dashed towards Starro. His heat vision followed his every step. As usual, it did nothing to inflict damage on the alien despot, but it granted J'onn some time to lick his wounds. Superman attacked with a controlled rage. His punches were like thunderclaps in the sky, and even Hal had to whistle at their destructive force. Superman swung and swung and swung until he was almost out of breath, while Starro just did nothing.

"Are you finished?"

Starro didn't honestly care for Superman's response which never came anyway, once the despot headbutted him. It felt like a planet had been dropped on Kal-El's skull. He'd never had a concussion before, but the Kryptonian was sure it had to feel like this. His ears were ringing, and his vision was blurry. The only thing the man of steel could faintly see was the outline of Starro's ax, which came crashing down on him, launching him out of the sky.

The man of steel landed with an Earth-shaking thud on the ground. It was akin to a minor earthquake, and every hero next to Batman felt the gravel beneath their feet sway. With Superman out of commission for the time being, Starro set his sights back on J'onn. By now, the Martian Manhunter had regenerated his arm, and he would need it as Starro chucked his ax at him.

J'onn caught it and clasped the weapon between his fingertips. It was astounding how much it weighed, and yet the tyrant swung it with the ease of a tennis racket. The Maritan decided to give the tyrant a taste of his own medicine and slid his hands down to the base of the weapon, gripping it. J'onn rocketed toward Starro, aiming ferocious slices at the conqueror's neck once he shortened the gap between them. But with the slightest of head movements, Starro evaded each and every single attack.

This is absurd! J'onn thought to himself as he swung with increased vigor. The veins in his arms swelled with every miss, and Starro took great pleasure in the Martian's ever-mounting frustration. J'onn was in the midst of another swing when Starro's massive hand suddenly caught the ax midway.

"Pitiful." That was the last word J'onn heard before the tyrant smacked him out of the sky.

Dragonball DC

"Looks like we're up, Chi-Chi." Hal Jordan said as his lantern ring hummed to life. He created a catcher's mitt and grabbed the Martian Manhunter before he hit the ground.

Chi-Chi went on the offensive and met Starro before he descended to the ground. Ki blasts exploded from her palms which were followed by plumes of thick smoke. The smoke evaporated, revealing a completely unharmed Starro. Chi-Chi scowled, but she had expected that.

"Look out!"

Emerald bullets, courtesy of a machine gun construct from the Green Lantern, pelted Starro's skin. Chi-Chi somersaulted out of the way before they struck. The shots landed harmlessly, like raindrops against a windowpane. Starro's eyes once again fell on Chi-Chi as the rainstorm of bullets stopped. His ax narrowly missed her neck, grazing it as she leaned back in the nick of time.

Hal joined their fight and conjured a giant green mallet. It was cartoonishly large, and Chi-Chi couldn't help but giggle at its proportions. But with one lazy swing, Starro splintered the construct. Hal and Chi-Chi were both shocked, but the Ox-King's daughter couldn't dwell on it. The Argus agent dropped into the stance of her most powerful attack.

A Kamehameha had been effective in Chi-Chi's previous fight with the despot, and she was hoping for similar results now. However, Starro didn't grant her the opportunity to unleash that attack once more. Starro lunged for Hal's neck and chokingly gripped it. Chi-Chi's concentration lapsed, and the build-up in Ki fizzled out. Before she could even react, the Argus agent was thwacked in the face with Hal's body.

The two of them plummeted from the sky and hit the ground, upheaving gravel along the way. Hal was the first one on his feet. Chi-Chi had taken most of the damage from the fall and had been Hal's pillow, for lack of a better term. Starro landed on the ground, a foot away from the Green Lantern, and tossed his ax. An emerald brick wall materialized and stopped the weapon momentarily, but cracks began to form in it.

"Damn it!"

Hal poured more willpower into his ring, but the ax kept gaining traction. It slid through the first layer of the wall, and then the next, and soon it was a hair's breadth away from Hal's face. But luckily, Chi-Chi was able to blast the ax back to its owner. Starro caught it as it was flung back and finally decided that he'd had enough of these games. The tyrant lifted his ax over his head, and with one violent swing, he brought it down to the ground, and then everything went dark.

Dragonball DC

When Batman finally woke up, the world was in utter chaos. With just a swing, one single swing, Starro had destroyed the entire industrial park. The rows of warehouses that had once surrounded them were just collapsed structures of steel now. Trees had been splintered into wood chips, and every street in the nearby vicinity had a zigzag of cracks running through it. But worst of all was the fact that none of his comrades seemed to be conscious.

The last thing Bruce remembered was Aquaman forming an ice barrier right before Starro's wave of destruction hit them. The dark knight couldn't spot the Atlantean or anyone else for that matter. Dozens of feet away, Starro stood menacingly. Of course, he was unharmed; no one during this night's battle had done anything to slow him down. Starro's eyes fluttered over to Batman, and the coils in Bruce's mind began to churn.

He had to find Steve! Starro took his time as he began strolling towards Batman. Bruce was grateful that the tyrant viewed him as nothing more than a pest; otherwise, he might've taken him out quickly. Batman ran with a sprinter's form that would've made the Flash proud. He lept over rocks, upturned gravel, and downed light poles as he searched for the Argus commander. After a few minutes, Bruce finally found Steve, who was out cold next to the Flash.

Batman glanced over his shoulders and saw that Starro was only a few feet away now. He had to act quickly. Bruce frantically dug through Steve's pockets until he found a tiny glass bottle of water. That had to be it; that had to be the sacred water. Bruce grabbed it and stuck it in his utility belt. Batman's plan to protect Steve had failed, and now he would have to act in the Argus commander's place.

Bruce readied himself with a Batarang. He was just down to his regular ones; his supply of neurotoxins had finished when he'd used the last one to free Superman. Starro lifted Bruce from the ground as he got within arms reach of the dark knight. Bruce didn't struggle or try to fight back. This was exactly what he wanted. He was close enough to douse the tyrant with the sacred water, but Bruce would need to stay alive long enough to do it.

If Starro's hand just slipped ever so slightly, he would snap Batman's neck. Bruce was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. His hands were fidgeting, trying to dig into his utility belt, but his strength and oxygen were slipping. Underneath his cowl, Bruce's face was turning purple. His eyes started to roll back, and his death would've been assured if not for Superman, who rammed into Starro's back at the last second.

Superman's strength and momentum were enough to dislodge Bruce from Starro's grip. Batman landed on his butt, gasping as oxygen rushed into his lungs, and then Superman forced Starro into a headlock. Clark used every ounce of his Kryptonian strength to keep the conqueror in place. Bruce knew this would likely be the Earth's last stand and hastily pulled out the sacred water. Batman didn't know how to use it, but he could see Clark's grip loosening around Starro's head.

With no further options, Bruce uncorked the water and just splashed it on the starfish attached to Starro's chest. At first, nothing happened. Bruce nearly crushed the glass in his hands out of frustration, but then he saw the sacred water's effect. The starfish on Starro's chest shriveled like a raisin in the sun and slithered off the tyrant's chest. Bruce promptly squashed it; he wouldn't take any chances.

Starro's eyes were wide with shock. "I'll kill you!" He screamed furiously. The tyrant tried to lunge at Batman but frustratedly realized that he didn't have the strength. "What have you done to me?" All his power was suddenly gone.

Bruce simply smirked. With Starro's overwhelming strength now out of the way, Superman proceeded to put the tyrant to sleep.

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 40!

A/N: I managed to get this chapter out a lot quicker than I expected; I hope y'all enjoy it. Currently, I'm in the process of editing my previous chapters. I'm not re-writing the story, but I'm going back and fixing spelling and grammatical errors. See y'all in the next chapter!

Q/A:

Ayrton Senna: Yes, they'll have a daughter. Gohan's not going to need a superhero name. Gohan isn't half-god; he's only a quarter god. As far as breathing in space, I haven't even thought about that.

LegionnaireBlaze: That's basically the essence of it.

Guest: In the next few chapters.

Fuckmegun: Yes, you'll get to see some new techniques in later chapters.