There had been hope, some kind of hope, with the arrival of both the Justice League and all of those Green Lanterns that the way shit was going down would at least end with tension and not a huge mess up.
That's not what happened.
The fighting started quickly, and from where the Teen Titans had watched, the immediate cause of it was not seen. Now, the Justice League was fighting Tamaraneans, the Green Lanterns were giving cover, and the Tamaraneans were shooting anything that moved.
Starfire was somewhere in that mess, and they were going to get her out of there.
"I blame you for this!" Wonder Girl shouted as she landed a punch to the side of a Tamaranean's head, using enough strength to send the orange-skinned alien flying away.
Red Robin immediately knew who she was yelling to. Throwing out an arm, he sent out two birdarangs that knocked off the aims of the plasma rifles that were being aimed in his direction. This left the alien shooters vulnerable to Cyborg who smacked both down to the ground with metal fists. "What did I do this time?" he demanded as he continued the advance.
A well-timed shield from Raven blocked the energy beam that almost burned itself into the armored blonde's back, and then gave the insulted blonde the chance to retaliate. A red-glowing lasso whipped around the side of the shield, snagged the offending Tamaranean, and a mighty pull slammed the poor victim into the black-glowing barrier.
Glancing down at him with angry blue eyes, Wonder Girl finally answered, "You didn't talk me out of this!"
Fair enough.
It shouldn't have been a surprise that Wonder Girl had been the first to "suggest" that they charge in headfirst and find their friend. No one had argued, not even him. The only thing that delayed them was how they were going in, and Red Robin had gone with the plan of whoever is in our way, take them down with one hit and don't look back.
Was there a risk to that? Absolutely. Their entrance was not going to be subtle and would be noticeable, especially as they blazed a path of destruction, but damn it, this was Kori. Who knew what was happening to her here.
To his right, a green-colored ram slammed into the side of a Tamaranean, the horned mammal soon protected as rock thrusted out of the ground right underneath another island defender, throwing what looked like a female up into the air. Wonder Girl took advantage, launching herself into the air, and intercepting the orange-skinned alien. With one fist, she decked the airborne Tamaranean back to the ground while Kid Flash ran ahead, snatching and dismantling any and all plasma rifles he could grab.
Those disarmed were left vulnerable to the incoming Titans who offered no mercy. Cyborg transformed his arm and released a sonic blast, the air trembling from the circular-shaped attack. With a bleat, Beast Boy passed the cyborg, shifting into a rhino in mid-stride that thundered ahead and bulldozed a path for them.
A combination of earth and black shields covered the horned pachyderm, birdarangs and a red-glowing lasso dealing with those who took aim. That left any Tamaraneans who had been visited by Kid Flash beforehand unarmed and either being knocked to a side or trampled.
The further they went, the more they began spotting Green Lanterns—how many of them were there?—and the Justice League. There was still no sign of Starfire, and Red Robin figured that cutting through the messier parts of the fighting was only going to make things worse.
Up to Raven, he called out, "Raven! Find Starfire! Where is she?"
Encasing two flying Tamaraneans in her black power, the hooded girl slammed the pair into one another before releasing them, then looking down at the teen vigilante. "Protect me," was all she responded.
Knowing that she wouldn't see him, Red Robin still gave a sharp nod before issuing his next order. "Cyborg, Wonder Girl, keep Raven safe! Everyone else, regroup!"
Wonder Girl drew closer to Raven while Cyborg aimed high. That left the rest of them on the ground. Thankfully, they had gotten to the point that more attention was directed towards either the League and the Lanterns so only a few breakaway Tamaraneans were of any threat. Each threat was taken down quickly, with Kid Flash restraining any they took out by tearing up each Tamaranean's uniform and binding their limbs together with them.
This was all crazy and insane, but damn it, somewhere around here was Starfire and she was always messed up somehow whenever Blackfire was involved. What would it be this time?
"I found her," Raven abruptly announced. Very quick, but even the empath had to know how bad this situation was. "Directly ahead. Blackfire is close by and there's a telepath. I'm making an effort to conceal our presense from him, but if he pays attention, he will find us."
"Then let's make this a snatch-and-grab," Cyborg said as he directed his arm cannon in the direction Raven indicated. Unfortunately, it went right through the thick of the fighting and there were Green Lantern constructs everywhere.
Well, let it never be said that a group of teenagers never did anything stupid.
The trio of Cyborg, Beast Boy and Kid Flash took the lead, charging ahead. Cyborg used much smaller blasts to knock away individuals one at a time, Beast Boy resumed his ram form, though he tended to shift into other animals, like a boa constrictor or a bear to either trip or knock aside any Tamaranean unlucky enough to be in his way. Those who were still able to get up were finished off by Kid Flash, either being restrained or getting a few rapid-fire punches to the face to really disorient them.
Raven and Wonder Girl handled the air, either hitting anyone who got in their way out of the way—or in the case of Raven redirecting them into the paths of either the Justice League or the Green Lanterns. This left Terra and himself in the rear, following after the trio of boys and offering either distractions or defense.
It was all chaotic, and there were more than one surprised face when they were noticed. Red Robin was feeling the strain in his jaw from keeping it clenched the whole way. Now was not the time to worry about this. Keep focus and keep pushing forward.
The less said about this stupid, stupid thing they were doing, the better. Eventually, they did break through. Some of the adults must have figured they were either caught up, or were trying to get out and had begun redirecting many of the Tamaraneans to themselves. That was fine, it made it earlier. There was a bit of relief when they broke through.
However, one Tamaranean was keen on not letting them out unscatched. Her aim was for the masked teen, and the plasma beam had been fired before he had noticed it. To his rescue came Wonder Girl who slammed down between him and the beam, her gauntlet-bearing arms crossed in front of her.
It was bright, the plasma beam not detonating while Wonder Girl's body was the only thing shielding him. The blonde's arms were trembling, then suddenly they pushed out and uncrossed. The plasma beam ricocheted backwards right into the barrel of the rifle it had been fired from, and the expected detonation finally occurred.
Wonder Girl's shoulders raised up and lowered repetitively, as if she was taking in deep breaths. Then, almost casually, "Huh, didn't know I could do that."
Neither had he, but hey, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth, right? Red Robin turned to face back to where Raven had indicated she had sensed Starfire.
There she was, flanked with Blackfire, the two Tamaranean siblings facing off with a huge Kalanorian. Now, he wasn't sure, had never been given a full description of the alien in question, but he figured that that had to be Despero. Everything in the Kalarnorian's stance screamed power, a man in full control of a situation that seemed to be getting worse and worse by the second.
Alright, how were they going to do this? There stood two of their enemies, though one was a tentative ally because, you know, enemy of my enemy could be at work here, but they weren't understandably here to save Blackfire's bacon. Despero was bringing in an intimidation factor, but there was no time to let that kind of thing take hold.
Before any of them could act, someone else was. From behind Despero, Galfore came swinging his cudgel. From experience, Red Robin knew how powerful Starfire's nanny was, and what he could do with that weapon. However, Despero caught the shaft of the weapon, and held the incredibly strong Tamaranean back with a single hand.
That was not good.
It got worse. From the Kalanorian's forehead, a fiery beam fired and pierced through the mighty warrior's body and Starfire's scream silenced everything.
Galfore's body was thrown backwards, collapsing onto the ground shortly after.
"Galfore!" the red-haired Tamaranean cried as she rushed towards her fallen kinsman. Despero watched as she fell to her knees next to him, hands clutching at his body.
With a quick scan of her mind, the Kalanorian felt the overwhelming grief within the female. She would be like this for some time, not that he would allow her such a moment.
"Die, Kalanorian scum!"
Despero turned his head to see Komand'r summoning her power once more. She held her hands over her head, dark energy crackling as her eyes flared with the same dark light. Fury twisted her face into a snarling animal.
Then she dropped her arms and fired her blast right for him.
Despero's third eye glowed in response and he too fired his own beam. His smaller beam collided with Komand'r's larger one, stopping each other in an instant. The air crackled from the raging attacks, the ground beneath the warring beams crumbling and ripping apart. However, whereas the Tamaranean was clearly using every last shred of power she had, Despero was calm and relaxed.
So he turned up his own power.
There was no question as to who would win this struggle. Despero's beam grew larger and pushed back at Komand'r's, drawing closer and closer to her. Urgency echoed within her mind as she tried to resist, but no amount of power she had would overcome his.
The moment she realized this, she dove out of the way of the incoming blasts. Despero's attack ripped through the last vestiges of the Tamaranean's, heading right for the dented Tamaranean ship the females had been thrown into. The blast tore into the vessel, moments later causing it to explode into a giant fireball.
The force of the detonation rushed into Despero, but he did not flinch from it, weathering it. His eyes found Komand'r lying on the ground, her arms covering her head. Images of his large foot crushing that Tamaranean's skull filled his mind and he began walking towards her to implement them.
That was until something large crashed down on top of him. The ground gave way beneath his feet and he was surrounded by darkness, or he should have been. A green light from above him told him exactly what had happened.
Plasma beams burned through the air. Superman knew they were a danger to anyone that ran into them. While he could handle them just fine, there were plenty of people in the League that couldn't.
So it was up to him to do what he could to reduce that danger.
Already he was flying at incredible speeds. From experience, he knew the Tamaraneans could take a hit, so he didn't hold back as he barreled through their lines. Bodies pounced off of the Kryptonian as he rammed into Tamaranean after Tamaranean, each and every one sent flipping into the air, or knocked to the ground in a heap. Emerging from their lines, Superman angled himself up into the air.
Following him were plasma beams. As he reached his peak, the dark-haired man looked down, watching many of the Tamaraneans firing their weapons at him rather than the shield constructs by the Green Lanterns. The very air seemed to singe with the beams as they passed by all around him, or struck his chest to no effect. There were still some discharges that struck those shields, but not nearly as much as three seconds ago.
For a moment, Superman noticed the number of plasma beams fired at him decreased. His super-hearing heard the sound of wind and an increased heart rate coming from behind him. Turning around, he found a Tamaranean closing in on him, their hands clasped together over their head.
Superman shot up both of his arms, crossing them over his head. A moment later the Tamaranean slammed his jackhammer blow onto his forearms. When compared to the Man of Steel, your average Tamaranean looked more like a supermodel rather than a warrior. That appearance hid the incredible strength they had and the Kryptonian was firmly reminded of it as he actually sank down through the air, his arms trembling from the blow.
Superman shook the blow off as he dropped his arms to his sides. Immediately, he charged towards the Tamaranean, shooting both of his hands out in front of him. He rammed them right into the orange-haired alien's gut, knocking the wind out of him as the Man of Steel forced him higher into the air. Slowing himself down, he allowed the Tamaranean's momentum to carry him even higher, though he didn't go too far. Grabbing the warrior's leg at the ankle, Superman pulled on the limb to one side. Spinning around in a circle, the dark-haired man went faster and faster until he was nothing more than a red-and-blue blur. He swung the Tamaranean with him, adding orange to their blur, making them appear like a top in midair.
And then he let go and sent the Tamaranean flying straight down to the ground like a missile. Tamaraneans that had been watching immediately began to scramble away, allowing for the approaching Tamaranean to crash right into the ground. The ground buckled and broke as a crater form, chunks of rock jutting upwards into the air at its rim. Some Tamaraneans that had been too close were launched into the air as the ground beneath them suddenly shot upwards.
However, their power of flight kicked in and most of the ones thrown into the air were now flying towards Superman. Some that had plasma rifles even opened fire on him.
That didn't last for long as green beams suddenly struck the charging Tamaraneans. They were blindsided by the energy beams, knocking them out of the air. A couple of the beams actually formed large hands, which wrapped around the orange-skinned aliens. They were then promptly yanked away.
Turning his head, Superman spotted the Green Lanterns that had come to his assistance. With a quick salute as thanks, he went back to work as he plunged towards a group of Tamaraneans still firing an onslaught of plasma beams.
The construct was of a design long since forgotten by time, but not the Guardians. To an Earthling, it looked like one of their buildings, a skyscraper to be exact, only upside down. It was this construct that Ganthet had formed and slammed it down on top of Despero's head.
He had arrived perhaps too late if one were to consider the fate of the Tamaranean Galfore. Seeing Princess Koriand'r grieving over him told him such. Nearby, he spied a colorful group of young Earthlings, an audience to the conflict.
Ganthet lowered himself through the air, keeping his ring hand up so that the light from the powerful weapon maintained the construct. He landed a short distance away from the Tamaraneans. Looking to the youths, he called out, "Take your fellow comrade and leave. This area is much too dangerous for you."
"Dangerous?!" a green-skinned male exclaimed. "This guy drops what looks like the Empire State Building on that big alien's head and still says it's dangerous?"
A youth in red took charge of that moment. "We need to grab Kori and get out of here. Galfore too, if anyone can lift him up."
"Why him?" a blonde female questioned.
"I don't think Kori's going to be leaving him anytime—"
There was a sharp crack. The sound captured Ganthet's attention as he whipped his head towards his construct. At the base close to the ground, a crack had formed on the construct's surface. This was followed by another and another, soon many that were crawling up towards the top of the construct. Alarmingly, purple flames emerged out of the cracks, licking at the air.
Then a powerful detonation erupted, Ganthet's construct exploding into green shards as a pillar of solid purple flame rose high into the air. It had been quite some time since the Guardian had felt astonishment on this level, but he felt it as his own will was overwhelmed.
What sort of power was this?
The young Earthlings were thrown off of their feet, crashing to the rocky ground. Ganthet felt himself be pushed back through the air. Calling upon his will, he stopped himself, but felt the wind battering at him until it calmed itself.
Slowly, the raging fire lowered itself into the hole it had emerged from, the very one that had formed when Ganthet crushed Despero into the ground. The fire didn't vanish completely though. As it reached the entrance, the flame began to rise back up, only this time it surrounded the hulking figure of Despero.
And all three of his eyes were focused on Ganthet.
Despero emerged from the hole that suddenly formed around him. It did not take him long to discover the reason for it.
There was an alien, short in stature, blue, and a head full of white hair. There was a sense of age that spoke to centuries seen and witnessed. The symbol of the Green Lantern Corp shown from his robes.
This must have been a so-called guardian from the Planet Oa. Despero had heard of such people, but had never felt the need to confirm. Though the appearance of this one did not seem all that imposing, there was no mistaking the force he had been hit with. There was a battle that could be quite entertaining should they do battle.
Unfortunately, there were more pressing matters and none of them could be seen to if he were to fall here.
"You must be one of the Guardians," the Kalanorian called out, gazing up at the blue man. "I have heard tales of your deeds."
"And I have heard of the atrocities you have committed," the Guardian responded. He held up a hand, a power ring glowing with frightening power. "Surrender yourself and face judgment."
All of these self-righteous aliens always seemed to use the same words. Give up and be judged—did they not detect how condescending that was? Their morals and laws only benefited them and Despero saw no need to abide by decrees he had no part in.
"While a battle with you would be most intriguing, I will not surrender nor allow chance to dictate how this ends," Despero responded. Green lights seemed to streak through the air, Green Lanterns moving to position themselves around the Kalanorian. No doubt they were trying to box him in.
It was clear they were unfamiliar with how their forces encountered his power in space; a reminder was very well needed.
"I will say this only once more: surrender yourself or bear witness to the power of Oa," the Guardian pressed.
Despero held both of his hands up over his head. Drawing upon the power of the Flame of Py'tar, its roaring aura crawled up his body, gathering at his hands. Purple fire raged around them, licking down his wrists and forearms, fighting to unleash itself from his hold.
Despero took one step forward before he swung his arms down. His fists slammed down on the rocky ground and a wave of purple fire erupted. Spreading out in all directions, the flames raced out like a tidal wave. They reached high into the air, the Green Lanterns immediately retreating to avoid it.
Those on the ground were not so fortunate.
The flames washed over and around the Tamaranean ships. Soldiers that had been distracted by the fighting with Earth's forces turned too late and were consumed, their screams filling the night air only to be silenced just as quickly. Despero could not see them through the flames, but he could feel each life extinguished in his mind.
It came without warning.
As John pushed forward with his shield, he could see through it something advancing. It towered over the battlefield, a raging fire that raced towards the opposing forces. Tamaraneans that spotted this fire took to the air, but not all of them were fortunate enough as they were swallowed whole by the wall of purple fire.
"Fall back!" John roared as he took to the air, angling his flight towards the coast of New Tamaran. "Everyone! Off of the island! Take to the air!"
Lanterns immediately pulled back. Members of the League that could not fly were swallowed up in protective bubbles and taken away. John spotted Superman and Hawkgirl flying straight up into the air, the former holding a couple of Tamaraneans, one under each arm.
As he reached a safe distance in the air, John looked down and watched as the wall of flames rushed beneath him. The very ground was scorched, glowing an angry red. The flames did not stop until they reached the water and even that hardly slowed them down. Incredibly, they flowed over the ocean, only losing steam the further it reached out. The purple fire dissipated until there was nothing left of it, sparing its danger to nearby Jump City perhaps midway across the ocean.
"Everyone alright?!" John called out, hearing faint confirmations from the Lanterns and Leaguers close by. He even hailed others over the comm link to get confirmation. Based on what he heard, he could confirm the League had managed to avoid…whatever that purple fire was.
However, there was one person John did not immediately see and that concerned him greatly. Ganthet was nowhere to be found, not from what he could see. "Can anyone see Ganthet?!" he shouted, drifting forward as he began scanning the sky. There were so many people that had taken to it, the further out they were, the less discernible they became. That didn't make the dark-skinned man feel any better as he soon found himself staring at the island below.
Thankfully, his ring belied his fears. "I've spotted him! Ganthet is alright!" came the announcement, allowing the anxiety John felt to vanish. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, he then held up his ring to his face.
"Where is he?" he asked.
"I will be with you in one moment, John Stewart," the unmistakable tone of Ganthet answered.
The Guardian was true to his word as he soon became visible. He was flying towards the Earth-based Lantern, towing a large bubble construct behind him. For a moment, John wondered how he could have missed such a construct to begin with. Sparing a glance, he could see there were people within it, a few Lanterns, some Tamaraneans…
There was a stoic look on Ganthet's face. Though that wasn't unusual, John could read between the lines that something was not right. "Despero has escaped," the little blue man declared as he came to a stop before John.
"You're kidding!" he exclaimed. He would have begun searching for the giant Kalanorian himself had Ganthet not shaken his head.
"Those flames that consumed the New Tamaran island were his. I had thought them an attack on his part, but they were only a distraction for his escape," Ganthet explained.
John glanced down at the island. "Some distraction. He nearly wiped out every living thing on it."
However, no matter how he looked at it, this was bad. Despero was somewhere on the loose on Earth. There was no telling what he could or would do. If he did an attack like that wall of fire just now, entire cities would fall, populations decimated.
They needed to find him and find him now.