Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter XXIII – Captured.
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
"Other Speech variants."
Location/Time.
Saturday 1st February 2014, 14:30.
Ninth Circle,
Lake Cocytus.
His heart was pounding loudly in his chest.
Blood rushed throughout his body.
Sweat glistened off his skin.
Muscles contracting tightly.
Mind sharp and focused as he studied everything around him.
There was only one time in his life that Naruto had felt like this, only one time in all the battles he had fought that he had been this focused. Where he could feel every muscle in his body working in perfect unison with one another. Where his mind was so sharp, everything around him became clear and open, all moving in slow motion.
It was that time when he had been ambushed by Talon and his team, Dove's death fresh on his mind and consciousness, rage and desire for revenge fuelled his actions. It was in that moment of near-death that Naruto stepped into the realm of the truly great fighters.
Guys like Batman, Deathstroke and Talon, they were each incredibly skilled. All of them standing as some of the most skilled and deadly fighters to ever exist; period. That was a fact that no one could deny nor argue against. Yet what truly made them great fighters was not the endless hours of training, not the weapons at their disposal or the skills and experiences they had accumulated over the years.
Did they contribute massively? Yes, they did and anyone who said otherwise was a liar.
Yet by that logic, Naruto should arguably stand not only on equal ground to them but above them. His powers should make any conflict an easy victory, but they didn't and wouldn't. Curiosity had gotten the better of him many times when training with the team, a question of what advantage his powers would give him over those like Batman, those without powers?
After seeing Black Canary hand Superboy his ass on a silver platter day in and day out. Naruto asked for a chance to go up against her, he lost, and it wasn't even close.
So, the question was; why?
Why was it that despite everything Naruto had accomplished, everything he had gained and learned, why couldn't he match them? And the answer was a simple act of the principle of mental state.
The Peak Performance Zone or more commonly referred to as the Zone was a state in which someone became completely immersed in the act itself. Everything around it was tuned out, no fear, no doubt, no worry. Without those things weighing an athlete down they could truly shine and show what they were really capable of.
It was in moments like these that athletes have described the world around them seemingly slowing down, their minds working in overdrive to process all the information around them at a speed as of yet, inexperienced. Other athletes described the ability to control their entire bodies actions, their running form, power output, techniques and so on as being flawless.
Yet, it was not a Zone anyone could reach nor could achieve consistently.
Every elite level athlete will have experienced a phenomenon like this at least once in their life. Yet some people may have never experienced a moment like this in their lives. Even those that could and had achieved this state, couldn't do so every time they went into a game and despite taking steps to try and recreate this, it didn't always end up in success.
However, people like Batman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Deathstroke and many more, each of them consistently and easily stepped into this world like it was nothing. A phenomenon that even elite athletes could only barely grasp, they had mastered.
It was why despite on paper, being their equal and even their superior, Naruto was still beneath them. He hadn't broken down the mental barriers to consistently enter the Peak Performance Zone without fail, not like they had. Yet once again, at this moment, Naruto once again experienced it all again.
He was conscious of everything and it was…breathtaking.
At this moment, thoughts and ideas of how to use his powers that had been difficult suddenly came to him easily. The ground beneath his earth shifted, spikes bursting out and piercing through the Demons at his back the moment he even heard a shriek growing closer to him. Fire burst freely from his right hand, splitting off in four different tendrils that his fingers controlled with just minuscule movements. The fire rushed through the air and slithering long the ground-like fire, engulfing all the Demons in its path.
And in the other hand, his favoured and most powerful element was being unleashed in full. Five miniature tornados erupted to life at the tips of his fingers and thumb. A single flick of his wrist and the tornados rushing out and growing rapidly in size.
A flick of his fingers and the tendrils of flames each rushed towards one of the tornados, turning four into tornados of destructive wind blades into destructive tornadoes of fire.
With both hands-free, Naruto rushed forwards, hands swinging and swiping out, body spinning as to continue to build up momentum. Wind gathered all around his body and was unleashed in powerful slashes that struck against the towering Demon of Asmodel that continued to battle against Alan.
All the Demons caught in the path of these wind blades didn't stand a chance and weren't even cut in half. They seemingly exploded into mists of blood that was carried along by the wind blades.
At this moment, Naruto truly lived up to his moniker of Maelstrom.
He became a force of pure destruction that was unleashed upon his enemies as he continued to rapidly close in upon Asmodel.
Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed another powerful Demon rushing towards him, not on the level of Asmodel but still powerful. Its fist was drawn back, vast quantities of magic gathering around it ready to be unleashed.
It was fast, far faster than Naruto could and should be able to react.
Yet as soon as its fist drew closer towards his head, it suddenly seemed to slow down rapidly. Naruto wasn't the only one to notice this, the Demon also looking in confusion as its fist seemed to push heavily against something that was slowing it down.
But in this moment of confusion, Naruto had already moved. Spinning around and underneath the punch just as it broke through whatever was holding it back. The magical energy unleashed in a beam that engulfed all the Demons on Naruto's other side. As for the Demon itself, it fell forwards as Naruto continued on ahead towards Asmodel.
The Demon turned, ready to give chase only to come to a stop, its body seemingly not responding to its commands. Then he fell forwards, head rolling along the ground and watching Naruto continuing to rush towards Asmodel as its vision began to darken.
Naruto's destructive approach did not go unnoticed, how could it?
Demons by the dozens were being taken out like they were nothing. The very elements seemingly bending to his will, nothing about Naruto's approach was subtle or stealthy. It was a spectacle that drew attention and Asmodel was one such person to take notice.
Even as he defended against Alan Scotts continued bombardment. The Starheart was a powerful mystical artefact that Asmodel recognised from his time as an Angel of Heaven and was wary of it for that reason. However, his powers were great, his experience in battle even greater and so he defended against it masterfully. After all, in a one-on-one fight like this, Asmodel held an insurmountable advantage.
Not only did he have an understanding of the power of the Starheart, but he was also a Fallen Angel, blessed with immortality and had lived through countless wars, rising up the ranks to become one of Lord Neron's closest confidants. Alan Scott on the other hand, despite being gifted with decelerated ageing thanks to the Starheart, he still aged and had lived for a long time. His prime had been during the years of the All-Star Squadron and the first iteration of the Justice Society.
Back then, when the threats they dealt with were no more than slight annoyances by today's standards, that had been when his body had been at its physical prime. Capable of wielding the vast quantities of power that the Starheart possessed without any form of strain. The one thing that held him back was the lack of proper challenge that could have driven Alan Scott to the heights of the Justice League.
Only once in his life had he faced adversity that had left him feeling powerless, that had been against the Lord of Chaos, Mordu. Yet instead of growing stronger from that moment, Alan had been broken by it.
He had always been confident in his strength, confident in gaining victory no matter the odds. Why wouldn't he be? No matter the odds, Alan Scott, the Justice Society and the All-Star Squadron had emerged victorious.
Until they met Mordu, that defeat, a crushing defeat broke his spirits.
It broke everyones.
The Justice Society fell apart piece by piece, some like Blue Devil, Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman secluding themselves in some faraway place and training. Surpassing their previous levels of power and returning into a new age of heroes far more powerful than before. Alan hadn't, as the leader and the face of the Justice Society, he had been in a position similar to Superman. Where everyone else failed, it was up to him to emerge victoriously, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat no matter the cost.
Mordu had denied him that and the impact of that defeat was felt by everyone, but none more so than Alan Scott himself. He, the Green Lantern, greatest of all heroes in his generation had lost.
Despite knowing his limits, knowing how to surpass them and learning many things from that battle. The motivation, the drive to learn and grow was not there. It all culminated in his wife and his son leaving him.
Now though, Alan had changed.
He may not be in his physical prime, but his experience, wisdom and knowledge were far greater than they had been. While no longer able to handle the full totality of the Starhearts power anymore, Alan was more powerful now than he had ever been.
It was for that reason alone; he felt the niggling sensation of frustration as he watched the Demon masterfully and even easily defend against his attacks. The early bombardment had caught Asmodel off-guard, but now it had recovered and Alan was the one struggling.
He rushed in canons of green energy forming and releasing beams that hammered against the shield Asmodel summoned. Alan spun, ducking under the returned blast, a low arch of energy taking shape of a blade cut down below, tearing through Demons on the ground below and carrying on where it shattered against the very same shield. One that shattered in turn as Alan came up, a construct in the form of a large green fist swinging up only to be knocked aside by Asmodel with the back of his hand.
Not capitalising on a chance to attack would be foolish, it would only spell his defeat. Even now, while constantly attacking, Alan knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. But if he hesitated and gave Asmodel a chance to take the offensive, then he would not last long.
Not only that, but he couldn't attack forever. His aged body would reach a limit and that wouldn't be long before Asmodel would tire or make a mistake. Attacking or defending, Alan would win neither way, he needed assistance.
Someone who could make up for where Alan was lacking in the physical department allowing him to drop back, conserve his energy with a more long-ranged assault. That's why he needed to divert as much attention from Asmodel away from Naruto.
Asmodel himself, even though he was defending against Alan's constant bombardment, had already taken notice of Naruto's assault. He had also begun to take steps to halt it and stop Naruto from coming to Alan Scott's aid.
As he defended, Asmodel released some of his magic in tendrils, reaching out towards the wind that bent to Naruto's will. He recognised straight away that wind was Naruto's greatest weapon, had seen the destruction he could and was causing with it. Letting said individual unleash that upon him in conjunction with the assault being released upon him by Alan Scott would be the height of stupidity.
He was powerful, more so than both combined, but Asmodel had met many powerful Demons that had been defeated by humans weaker than them. The Uzumaki clan of old were one such group to hunt those stronger than them routinely.
Humans were tricky and witty.
They made up for strength with intelligence and cunning, setting traps and using magics in ways that many didn't think of. It was why magical battles could not be determined simply by who had more magic than the other. Did it play a factor? Yes, but there were so many factors that could influence the outcome of a magical battle that relying purely upon one would spell doom for whoever attempted it.
Asmodel had not lived as long as he had by simply relying upon power. He had magic in droves, but he also had experience and was very capable of using magic in more subtle means.
For example, taking control of another person's attack by inserting his magic into the making of a spell. This is exactly what he was trying to do against Naruto, yet the moment his magic reached the wind that Naruto controlled seamlessly and fluidly, he found his magic repelled.
This left him reeling, shocked by being repelled.
An act that left him exposed as an energy beam broke through his shield and reduced his hand to ash. Asmodel cried out in pain, his wrist cauterised by the blast stopping his regenerative body from healing the injury. The hammer strike that collided against his face moments later was powerful and knocked Asmodel down to his knees.
Yet it also awoke him from his stupor, defence return in full force as he began to up the ante of his own attacks in kind.
However, as he did this, Asmodel looked towards the figure of Naruto that drew ever closer. 'How did he do it? How did he repel my magic?' And as he thought upon it more, a realisation dawned upon him. Only one thing could have stopped him from taking control of that spell despite having more control and more power than Naruto. 'Why would an Elemental Force choose this human?'
Saturday 1st February 2014, 15:15.
Ninth Circle,
Lake Cocytus.
Grunting out, John strained his powers to the limit as he defended against the spell that hammered against his shield. This battle had been far from easy, even with Lord Neron and Lord Satanus exhausting one another in their battle before he arrived, it didn't change much. The sheer amount of magic both possessed was a gap that no human could ever bridge.
It was only due to his knowledge and skill with magic, his capability to utilise it in various ways that had enabled him to survive as long as he had. He had to be especially careful because he couldn't regenerate like all the other Demons currently engaged in this battle. Nor did he have the durability to take blows from any of them and survive.
To call him a glass cannon would be an apt way to describe him.
Powerful and not to be underestimated, but all it would take was one decently strong attack to get through and he was done for.
Shields could only do so much, after all, his eyes looking upon the visage of Balam being reduced to nothing as he struck by a powerful attack from Lord Neron. A little further away, Etrigan ripped off the head of Hurmizah before being struck by a crushing blow from Sabbac, throwing the Demon Lord across the ground.
Above, the towering visage of Lord Satanus unleashed the full scope of his powers, pushing them to the limits as he attempted to destroy Lord Neron, Etrigan and himself. His limbs extended and morphed into tendrils that lashed out like whips, tearing up the ground as they struck against it. Hundreds of beams rain down upon them constantly. John felt his shield reverberate as it was struck by these energy attacks, avoiding them all an impossible attack.
For those like Etrigan and Sabbac, they didn't even need to summon a shield.
They just tanked the blows, trusting their durable bodies to deal with most of the damage while it healed whatever was too much, both continuing to pummel away at one another. John was envious of how undisturbed they were by the rain of death coming down upon them.
Especially when he watched Lord Neron respond in kind while continuing to keep Pharyngula at bay.
'Fuck this shit, if I had known it would end up being a shitshow like this I would have never agreed to do this.' John frowned deeply, completely done with how messed up things had become. Keeping his shield open, John bit his lip, blood dribbling down his chin.
Just as a single drop fell to the ground, everything around him came to a standstill. No, that wasn't completely accurate, there was still one person moving amongst this image of statues.
That was Lord Neron and while he was moving, it was extremely slow.
Extremely slow.
It was a blood spell and not a very powerful one, but what it did was allow him to temporarily freeze time. Though as obvious from the fact that Lord Neron was still moving, eyes turning to finally land upon John Constantine as his body slowly began to move, balls of magic flickering to life as tiny golf balls and growing inch by inch, it wasn't perfect.
But John didn't need it to be perfect, he just needed it to give him enough time to gather the magic necessary and think with a clear mind.
That's exactly what he got and he extended one hand, large quantities of magic beginning to glow around it. This was a spell he had never used before, nor had he seen the full scope of its strength either. It was something he learned early on in his career, something he had learned from someone who had created it themselves. However, due to the limitations of magic and the cost that was required to use it, the original owner of this spell had been incapable of properly casting it.
John didn't fully understand how or why, but he didn't have to worry about the cost magic demanded from all its practitioners as everyone else did. He could use it freely without consequence and for that reason, John was able to bring out the full totality of this spell.
A sigil spell that in theory, could kill a God.
A God-killing spell.
Golden light erupted to life, taking shape in the form of a spike, a simple shape, but the shape it took meant little. At that moment, the world around them returned to normal, his control over time coming undone as everyone turned to look upon the spell John had created.
Lord Neron, no longer fighting against the spell that froze time, quickly spun around, firing off the magic he had attempted to form in order to stop John. However, it was too late, the spell being unleashed and the entirety of Hell was engulfed in a blinding light.
Saturday 1st February 2014, 14;45.
Ninth Circle,
Lake Cocytus.
Falling back, Alan summoned a powerful shield in an attempt to block the spells that Asmodel unleashed upon him. Just as his shield reached its limit, a powerful rush of wind deflected the incoming spells as a wave of flames rushed forwards, engulfing Asmodel.
There was a burst of power, Asmodel dispersing the flames from around him.
"He's a tough one," Naruto murmured, frowning as he looked up at the figure. No matter what they tried, nothing seemed to work, Asmodel was just too powerful and the only thing they had managed to damage was his hand.
An injury like that would be crippling in any other situation, especially in close quarters combat. Yet for Asmodel, who just kept them at a distance with a constant bombardment of magical beams, constructs and spells, getting up close was all but impossible.
"Naruto." Alan lowered himself to the ground, Asmodel momentarily distracted by an attack from a large Demon, one that was quickly dealt with, the astral figure of Deadman coming out of the dead body and flowing into the nearest body and once again beset the servant of Neron. "I need you to use your Demon power. We've been trying to beat him from a distance but nothing's working. I'll be your support, but we need someone to pressure him from the front. Can you do that?"
Sighing, Naruto nodded his head. "Alright." He hadn't used his demonic powers in a long time and the whole purpose of his time training with Doctor Fate was to use magic in place of his demonic powers. The visions and the voice in his head, they had all put him on edge and he knew they were linked to his powers.
He didn't know how or why, but he just knew that the more he used his powers, the worse things were going to get. That's why he had committed himself so deeply to learning magic and expanding his capabilities with it.
However, he was not going to risk his teammates lives over something petty. Due to that, Naruto reached down within him and burst forwards, claws and fangs sprouting out from their points, whiskers growing upon his cheeks as his eyes flashed red. He landed, claws piercing into the throat of one Demon as he drove it into the ground. Dozens more rushed to attack his crouched body, only for his cloak to form around him, three tails lashing out and cutting through their bodies as Naruto rose up.
Alan himself kept on keeping Asmodel at bay, preparing to act as support only to find himself battling the Demon alone. That reason was because Naruto's powers kept on rising with no sign of stopping, completely surpassing the power of the three tails he had held back during his time against the Justice League.
So great was the power, that both Alan and Asmodel stopped, their eyes widening in shock as they watched the three tails wrap around his form coalescing into a sort of hardened shell or cocoon. One that repelled the numerous magical and physical attacks that impacted against it.
Asmodel on the other hand sensed the rising power from within the cocoon, the rage within it was unlike anything he had sensed before. The power was not as vast as his own, but the potency of its rage was far greater than his own, far greater than any Demons he had encountered in his life. He couldn't allow whatever was growing within that cocoon to come free and so he gathered his magic and unleashed it in a concentrated beam.
However, Alan intercepted the blast, straining against the beam, his shield cracking under the destructive power. With a shout, he thrust his arm up, curving his shield and directing the beam into the air, it harmless exploding in the sky.
At that moment, the cocoon also exploded, a beam of red energy shooting up into the air. For a moment, those nearby looked towards the small crater that had formed only for a red blur to burst out, faster than most could react. It landed, ground cracking beneath its feet before it rushed out from the smoke.
Tails whipped out from the smoke cloud, four in total.
'So, he finally did it.' Alan thought with a smile. 'He finally broke that barrier.' He remembered the talks with Naruto and Jason, back when he was training under Ted and before the whole incident in Gotham took place. Naruto had always talked about the barrier that separated him from gaining control of the fourth tail. At first, it had been decided that because he wasn't in full control of three tails that he wouldn't be able to access four without going berserk.
But Alan knew from the handful of talks he had with Naruto since he took up training with Doctor Fate and his time in Tartarus, that even with gaining full control of all three tails, the fourth still eluded him. Yet here was, all four tails, each much darker in colour, pulsing with red veins that tore through all nearby Demons, Alan knew that Naruto had once again grown much stronger and he couldn't be prouder.
Yet he took pause when the smoke slowly began to disperse revealing Naruto in full view, not as a bipedal human wrapped in a cloak of bubbling energy. No, now he was a quadrupedal deformed monster, his body completely covered in pulsing veins and fibres of muscles, the same colour as his tails. His face, just the same, white spots in the shape of eyes and slitted areas forming a snarling mouth as warm air rushed out.
He looked like a truly terrifying sight.
Then he moved, rushing across the ground, each clawed hand causing the ground beneath to break and rupture in his wake as he closed in upon Asmodel. He was fast, much faster than he had ever been before and Alan watched him smash against Asmodel's shield in a fraction of a second.
Alan quickly recovered from the shock, opening fire and providing support from a distance, as was the original plan. Quickly Asmodel's shield shattered under the combined assault and Naruto came upon him once more.
"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
That roar, much like his speed and strength was unlike anything Naruto had unleashed before. Asmodel himself temporarily frozen as it washed over him, that rage he felt from within Naruto's power that had so shocked him, directed entirely upon him in one go.
A beam of green energy smashed into his side, clipping his shoulder.
He groaned out, stumbling back as Alan pressed his advantage, unleashing more constructs and beams that hammered away against Asmodel. Any shield he created quickly shattered by the combined assault from Naruto and Alan as the former drew ever closer.
One such shield shattered when Naruto slammed into it with his entire body, Alan also unleashed a concentrated attack. A small hole opened, two of Naruto's tails piercing through and then making the hole wider by tearing through it. This opening was something he used, his remaining two tails shooting through and piercing into Asmodel's stomach, blood pooling out from around it.
When he reflexively reached to grab hold of them, he hissed out when his hand burned. Another opening that Alan didn't let escape him, a large green sword swinging down and hacking deeply into the shoulder of his free arm, burying deeply and cutting into the bone.
Instead of dismissing it and allowing Asmodel to heal the damage, Alan kept the sword there, acting as a barrier that would stop it. Going even further and using that as a platform to deal internal damage, spikes protruding from the edge of the blade and burrowing deep into Asmodel's body.
The Demon cried out in pain, dropping to his knees.
In this time, Naruto had not been idle, rather he was gathering vast quantities of powers together, tails pointed inwards to a spot just above his open mouth. It was a technique that worked in a similar line as the attack he used against Aquaman, Icon and Azhi Dahaka, an attack the required power to be condensed into a single ball and unleashed in a devastating explosion.
Yet this time, thanks to the aid of John Constantine's advice and a little inspiration he took from some Demons, he had evolved it further.
No longer did he need to get up and personal in this new form of his.
As the power fully gathered into a ball no bigger than a small football, he let it drop into his mouth, almost swallowing it and turned to Asmodel. Claws of his hands and feet dug into the ground, legs bending as tails buried themselves into the ground before him.
Cheeks bulged and Naruto spat it out.
It zoomed across the distance between him and Asmodel, Naruto's body shaking from the reverberations. Asmodel, despite the pain he was in, still had the sense to summon a shield in an attempt to block the incoming attack, yet his control was hardly what it was. His mind was distracted and so the shield was weak, most have his magic dispersed uselessly into his surroundings.
As such, when the ball of concentrated demonic energy struck his shield, it shattered helplessly. The ball continued its trajectory and Asmodel could do nothing but weakly try and move out of the way in time, the constructs that Alan had formed within his body restricting his movements.
It was a hopeless endeavour as the ball struck his exposed back and erupted and Asmodel could let out nothing but a cry as he became engulfed in the eruption of power that destroyed him and everything around him.
Saturday 1st February 2014, 15:10.
Ninth Circle,
Lake Cocytus.
Lady Blaze felt her breath leave its throat as she watched the quadrupedal creature emerge from the smoke and tear its way through the horde of Demons in its path. It wasn't the most powerful Demon she had ever encountered, even she was more powerful than it was.
However, that wasn't what stole her breath.
No, it was the rage, its potency and depth, all of it gained her attention. She delved deeper, trying to find an end and she couldn't, her heart beating wildly as she found herself drowning within the endless flood of power, she found herself within. Not only was the rage of his power endless, but the human had only just begun to tap into the true depths of the power within him.
Yet none of that robbed her of her breath, no it was but the fleeting moment before she found herself propelled back into her body that left her breathless. It was a moment within that endless void of rage and power, that an image came to her mind.
An image of a blonde bathed in blood, the body of her father's champion, the dead body of Billy Batson clutched in one hand, the lifeless body of her father beneath the foot of the man atop a mountain of corpses. The world around him was upon the fire, the moon blood red and smoke billowing into the sky slowly shrouding it in darkness. Then the figure moved, blood-red eyes radiating power turned to her, an image of roaring Nine-Tailed Fox emerging from the shadows that rushed towards her.
She blinked and to her horror, the image was gone and she so desperately wanted to see it once more. No, she didn't simply want to see it, she wanted it to become reality. As Lady Blaze looked upon Naruto, her greed and desire grew larger and larger.
Lady Blaze dismissed the death of Asmodel out of hand, instead of focusing upon the sight of the blonde collapsing to one knee, returning to his human form. He was exhausted and from the looks of things, so was Alan Scott. The battle against Asmodel had not been easy, the fact that they had emerged victorious alone was a miracle in of itself, a testament to their skill and power.
Yet their exhausted state was a blessing for her.
They wouldn't be able to put up much of her fight, her prey least of all. However, before she could even take a step towards them, Lady Blaze felt herself freeze in place, the vast waves of magic originating from the battle between her brother and Lord Neron washing over her.
She turned, slowly, looking to see a golden spire of brilliant light mere moments before it disappeared from view. Then she cried out in pain, the blinding light doing just that, blinding her as the realm of Hell shook violently.
Saturday 1st February 2014, 15:20.
Ninth Circle,
Lake Cocytus.
Sighing tiredly, John collapsed to one knee, one hand braced against the floor for support as he squinted his eyes out across the smoky landscape before him. White spots danced across his vision as despite closing his eyes as the spell struck, it had done little to protect him.
Yet as the smoke before him slowly dispersed, Constantine was left looking upon the deep crater left before his eyes. So deep that he couldn't even see the bottom of it.
Reaching out with his magic, attempting to lock upon the magical signatures, John could breathe a sigh of relief when he sensed Etrigan still alive. Sabbac who he had been clashing against not seem too fair nearly as well. 'Oh, and there goes another one.' John thought to himself, continuing to sense around him. 'And Satanus too? How'd that happen, he wasn't close enough to the attack to be killed from it.'
Injured? Sure.
But killed? Not a chance in Hell, he wasn't weak enough to be killed from the backlash. Especially not if Etrigan and Sabbac had survived, or in the case of the latter temporarily survived. But the point still stood, both had been significantly weaker than him.
However, it was a little way to his left that he sensed perhaps the last thing he expected. "No fucking way!" He cursed, turning to see a figure stumble out of the smoke, his body was badly scorched, his right arm entirely missing and a large chunk of his stomach just gone. He was bleeding profusely from various wounds all across his body and had certainly seen far better days.
There was no denying though that this was Lord Neron.
'How the fuck did he survive that head on?! That's impossible!' What made it even more shocking to John was the reminder that Lord Satanus had been killed despite not being the main target of the spell. 'Wait. Don't tell me, did he switch places with Lord Satanus at the last minute?'
John didn't know what was more shocking, the fact that Lord Neron had been capable of pulling that off in time to catch only a backend of the spell? Or the fact that it actually succeeded?
Lord Satanus was a powerful Demon, not on the level of Lord Neron, even without his connection to Hell and the ability to draw power from it, he had been holding off Satanus and his followers single-handedly. It was only when he and Etrigan arrived that things took a turn and both sides started taking losses. Yet, even with Lord Neron being stronger than Satanus, the latter should have still tried to resist the effect of a switching spell and by all accounts should have been capable of doing so.
The fact that Lord Neron was so badly injured even though he obvious succeeded showcased that Satanus had resisted heavily. 'He must have nearly completely exhausted his magical abilities to pull it off though.' Normally that would have brought some measure of comfort to John, a beast like Lord Neron barely able to stand would have been an easy target.
If only he had the strength himself to finish the job.
On top of that, Etrigan seemed to have stopped moving altogether after finishing off Sabbac. His magic was dangerously low and so it seemed like he wouldn't be climbing up out of that crater any time soon.
'Fuck! This was the perfect chance!' John raged, tiredly clenching his fists as he reached within his pockets. 'If only one of the others could get here, we could finish Lord Neron off right now.' In Constantine's experience sealing Demons away was nothing more than a half-measure. Eventually, some greedy human or a mistake would release it and the Demon would once again be free to wreak havoc across the world.
Demons like Lord Neron were few and far between, but the point still stood all the same. Someone like him should be killed not sealed away, it was the best way to ensure he couldn't cause any more destruction again.
Yet as he sensed the magic within Lord Neron beginning to rise, slowly and very gradually, he knew he didn't have a choice. No one was around, he himself didn't have the magic or the strength to finish off Neron.
So, from his pocket, he pulled out a single jewel and slowly, stumbled his way towards the kneeling form of Lord Neron. The Demon glaring out at him, yet unable to properly move, John using the last vestiges of his magic to hold him in place, the ruler of Hell trying to fight him every step of the way.
Saturday 1st February 2014, 17:00.
Massachusetts,
Salem,
Tower of Fate.
Tapping his foot anxiously, Eddie looked around the room with a deep frown upon his face. The atmosphere around them was tense, everyone quiet and not completely sure on what they should say. Every one of them was battered and bruised, exhausted from the battle they had just fought in.
A battle they were victorious in.
Lord Satanus was dead.
Lord Neron was sealed away.
Powerful Demons like Asmodel, Pharyngula, Sabbac, Balam and others were all killed.
Dalkriig-Hath was now the ruler of Hell with no threats to his throne.
Everything had gone according to plan, except for one key problem.
Lady Blaze was alive, not only that, she had taken Naruto with her. After John Constantine had unleashed that final spell of his that killed Lord Satanus and badly damaged Lord Neron, Lady Blaze had capitalised on the opportunity. She dispatched the severely exhausted Alan Scott as well Naruto, taking the latter with her before fleeing.
None had realised this before it was too late, Lady Blaze was long gone and they were too exhausted to do anything to stop her.
"We should be doing something!" Finally, the patience Eddie had snapped as he shot to his feet, glaring out at the people around the room. "Constantine's already fucked off but we can still do something, can't we? I mean, Lady Blaze isn't as powerful as her brother so taking her out won't be that much of a problem. So, what are we waiting around for?"
"Locating her would be the first problem?" Boston spoke up, from his position on the armchair. "She could be anywhere in Hell. And, if we're really unlucky, she may not even be in Hell and could be somewhere in Earth or in another dimension entirely."
Daniel sighed. "Even if we did know where she was, we wouldn't just be fighting against her. Don't forget Naruto is also there and there's one thing Blaze is good at; it's taking control of someone."
His interactions with her were limited, thankfully. Yet Daniel still had the displeasure of meeting with her a few times. Those few times were enough to make him very wary of her, not a warrior or a fighter like her brother, but she was by no means less of a threat. Her skills in magic were not oriented towards combat, instead focused upon the manipulation of others.
As much as the thought angered him, it was more than likely that Naruto was under her thrall. "You mean, we would have to fight Naruto?" Eddie questioned in shock, the thought had never crossed his mind.
"That's right," Alan said. "And he's dangerous enough as it is, not someone any of us could take lightly, with or without his demonic powers. Under the thrall of someone else, he'll be even more dangerous. He won't recognise us as friend or foe and he won't hesitate to kill us if Blaze gives him the order."
Most worrying of all though was that Alan knew from personal experience that mind-controlled foes were even more dangerous for another reason. When under the thrall of someone else, they would do everything they could do to carry out the orders they receive. Even surpassing their previous limits and reaching new heights just to do it. If they were to attack Blaze, that would also mean fighting Naruto who in turn, would come at them with every intention to kill, all the while pushing himself further and further to complete his objective.
"She's in Hell." Jason broke the silence that had descended upon the room once more. "I had already confirmed it with Nabu upon returning to the Tower. However, that means we face even more problems."
Alan sat upright. "Like what?" He asked firmly.
"We only agreed to help Dalkriig-Hath take the throne after he signed a number of contracts that would limit his influence upon Earth." Removing it entirely was impossible, there were always loopholes in a contract. But by providing a few loopholes intentionally, Jason had eliminated even bigger problems in the future.
Instead of fully shutting off the water and waiting for the pipe to burst as the pressure built up. Jason preferred to create a few small holes that allowed a small drop of water to come out every so often, enough to avoid a pipe bursting.
"However, he, in turn, asked for us to sign a few contracts as well."
"What contracts?" Boston questioned. "And why were we not told of these before?"
Jason sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You weren't told because, after this incident, none of you would have had a need to return to Hell. That's why I didn't tell you, because they wouldn't have affected us. That was until now."
Daniel frowned. "You still haven't told us what these contracts are?"
"None of you can return to Hell. Nor can Etrigan, any member of the Justice League, Dalkriig-Hath even named each individual member of the League. On this list there was also individual members of the Justice Society, Young Justice, Teen Titans as well as naming the organisations themselves as well as former organisations such as the Freedom Fighters, All-Star Squadron, Seven Soldiers of Victory and others. He even mentioned solo heroes, magicians and mercenaries." Jason explained allowing a moment for what he said to settle in.
By naming individual members he ensured that those heroes mentioned couldn't enter into Hell without it being a violation of the contract. He also made sure that anyone operating as part of one of the organisations listed couldn't enter. Dalkriig-Hath also covered those not part of an organisation like Guy Gardner, John Constantine and mercenaries like Deathstroke.
He had covered every one of his bases.
"So, there's nothing we can do?" Eddie wondered.
Jason shook his head in response. "There is something. I have already talked it over with Etrigan, he is willing to separate himself from me and be sealed within a jewel for a short time, so long as a sign a contract that will require me to relink with him once Naruto is freed." A little loophole that Jason had created when in negotiations with Dalkriig-Hath, a slight distraction here and there made him overlook the little detail.
The contract stated that Etrigan could not enter Hell so long as Dalkriig-Hath ruled. As Etrigan was bound to him, neither could Jason Blood. Yet if Jason was to separate himself from Etrigan with the aid of Nabu, then he could enter Hell freely.
He may not be the strongest wizard alive, but he had lived for a very long time and had a great deal of experience in combat. Fortunately, Dalkriig-Hath had been under the assumption that without Etrigan, Jason was nothing. It would be his job to lead a team to free Naruto. 'The biggest problem is gathering a team.'
"Will that really work?" Alan asked and Jason nodded his head.
"Etrigan has agreed and Dalkriig-Hath is unaware of this little loophole. Even if he does become aware there's nothing he can do to stop us."
"That still raises a problem of forming a team. You alone won't be enough." Daniel further pointed out, reflecting the thoughts that many were sharing.
"I will speak with Batman. If anyone knows people that could slip through the clauses of this contract, it will be him." Jason went to leave but paused. "I do think it would be best if we don't inform any of Naruto's friends about this, especially Barbara. They may cause further problems in their attempts to help."
Reluctantly, everyone agreed.
Wednesday 5th February 2014, 13:45.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Things had not been going well recently for Jason. A moment that should have been a victorious moment, as well as a changing point in the history of mankind, had become the direct opposite. Naruto had been captured by Lady Blaze, placed under her control and now they were left trying to scramble the pieces of their mess.
Perhaps even worst of all, they were trying to put together a team of what was effectively, scrap pieces. New heroes who had yet to receive proper training, had little experience working together or had never fought in an actual battle before.
It was frustrating and weighing down upon his shoulders.
"My, my." Looking up, Jason saw the immortal soothsayer, Madame Xanadu as she was known by most. "I have not seen that look upon your face for many years. Things must be bad."
"Nimue." Jason greeted, rising from his seat and taking the hand offered to him. Bowing down slightly, he placed a kiss upon the back of it, turning then to pull out a chair for her to sit down upon. "It has been many years, what brings you here? Have you not sworn an oath to not intervene in the affairs of the world anymore, preferring instead to play the role of a fortune-teller?"
Nimue Inwudu laughed lightly. "You heard of what I was doing with my time then? I have to admit, it is very amusing to play the role of a non-magically gifted. Did you know Kent Nelson paid me a visit a few years ago? It was a very amusing visit. He wasn't even aware that I was playing with him the entire time. Even the new Lord of Chaos, that child, Klarion couldn't tell I was a sorceress. This new generation is truly worrying to look upon."
"There are a number of talents, Zatanna Zatara for one." Jason pointed out, not even attempting to argue with the woman. He had known her long enough to know that she was always like this.
It was also not likely she was lying either.
Kent Nelson while possessing magical abilities, relied entirely too much upon the Helmet of Fate and the powers of Nabu, or had. Klarion was young but highly talented, yet with that came ambition. Even he, Jason Blood who had been around for centuries was not overly powerful in comparison to many others. He, much like Kent Nelson relied too much upon external help, him relying upon Etrigan.
"True, she does seem talented." Nimue agreed. "But it seems we have more troubling matters at hand." Leaning back, Jason indicated for her to go on. "I know exactly what you are thinking of doing Jason, don't. I do not know the whole truth, as usual. But I know enough. You will fail and with it, unleash an even greater danger."
Jason frowned in response, knowing better than to take Nimue's words lightly. "Then what do I do?" He waved his hand over the numerous files lining his desk, each detailing the possible members of the team he had considered to put together as a team. "By agreeing with Dalkriig-Hath's terms, we have crippled ourselves. Now we rely on nothing but the untrained and newly formed heroes to free Naruto from a dangerous foe."
"Going alone will not solve your problems." Nimue pointed out.
Neither said anything, Nimue taking the files and looking over each with a cursory glance. She wasn't reading the actual contents of the files, instead of reading and documenting the names of each of them within her mind.
Jason helpfully took each file she handed back to him once she was done and then she leaned back. Her eyes glowed brightly and he waited patiently, he had seen her at work many times before. She was perhaps the greatest and most gifted practitioner of Divination. Able to see further and more clearly what the future held than any practitioner of the ancient and abstract of magic. It had saved her life and his many times in the past, yet for all the good it did, Jason knew that it came with a heavy price.
Nothing physical, but one more mental and emotional.
Nimue couldn't always control when the visions came to her, and those moments of uncontrolled future knowledge were the curse. They were raw and showed the truth of the future in a way that Nimue was unprepared for. Even in moments like these, the results could be unexpected and equally as raw, but she could at least prepare herself and could even have an idea of what the future held.
But those moments in which the future came despite her unwitting of them, those were the moments in which they weighed heavily upon her.
Slowly, the light within her eyes subsided and Nimue looked to him. "There is a team amongst those files. A guardian from the stars. A being of the sun. A child of those that came before. A boy from the past. A being of heat. A being of energy. And a team of scraps, new but hidden from the world. With them, you will succeed, but it will not be easy."
"So, it can be done?" Jason wondered, looking back over the files once more.
Nimue nodded her head. "It can, but you will be at great risk. To reach him, you must place yourself in the greatest position of vulnerability. That is the only way to reach him, the only way for him to fight free."
Slowly, one by one, Jason began to pick out a team from the files he had before him, a team beginning to form. "It's not ideal," Jason muttered, neither frowning nor smiling. "However, it will have to do." He then looked at her. "Could I ask one more thing of you, Madame?"
"I should have expected you to ask." Nimue smiled ruefully, shaking her head slightly. "Our fates it seems, are forever intertwined despite our pasts."
"Thank you." He sincerely expressed his gratitude, rising and bowing deeply to her.
Nimue waved her hand. "I go purely because I've seen the destiny that surrounds that child. You may not be aware of it yet Jason, but you will learn soon. The part he plays within the fate of this universe is larger than any others. He stands to be its saviour or its destruction. If he remains in the hands of Lady Blaze, destruction is all that remains for us. I suppose that is reason enough for me to forsake my vow temporarily."
He had questions, a curiosity as to what she meant by those words. Jason knew that Naruto had changed things, already impacted the people around him in massive ways. One need look no further than the developing powers of the younger generation. But from Nimue's words, it appeared that Naruto's future would change things even further.
'But by how much?' He wondered, Nimue rising to her feet and heading towards the door.
As she did though, she paused. "Why risk yourself for this boy?" She asked.
"Many reasons," Jason replied easily. "I know that if our situations were reversed, Naruto would not hesitate to put his life on the line to save me, that is just who he is. But I suppose, he also reminds me of who I once was, not Jason the Blood, but Jason of Norwich. The very same commoner who Merlin took as his helper and the one who you fell in love with."
Nimue frowned and Jason smiled sadly.
"I should never have asked you to do what you had and for that, I truly apologise." He told her sincerely.
"You were not the one to suggest it." She responded, thinking back to the time in the distant past when they had both been young and foolish, both struggling to control Etrigan. "Nor did I have to agree. I never blamed you for that, Jason of Norwich."
With those parting words, Nimue closed the door behind her, Jason left in silence.
Friday 7th February 2014, 21:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
"I'm glad all of you could come," Jason spoke, looking around at the inhabitants gathered within his room. "Quite frankly, I would normally not wish to rely on so many young and inexperienced heroes. But my hands are tied and I have no choice. I ask that all of you listen carefully to what will be required of you. Then, afterwards, feel free to make your decision. Do you stay and help? Or do you leave?"
Glances were shared all around, no one saying a word.
Taking this as his cue, Jason clicked his finger and folders appeared before the eyes of each individual member. "In there, is a more detailed report of everything I will be briefly touching upon tonight. I ask that each of you go over that after this is done." He then took a deep breath. "First of all, anything discussed here, must not be shared with anyone else."
"Why is that?" Niles Caulder asked.
"The hero known as Maelstrom has not only been kidnapped but is under the control of the ruler of one of the circles of Hell." There was a pause, a heavy silence as the knowledge that Hell was in fact very real dawned upon many. "He has close friends with many of the young heroes, those that would not hesitate to try and risk their lives to save his. However, recent events detailed within the report will explain why calling upon them or having them involved in this mission is impossible."
"It is our job to free him. But it won't be easy." Jason continued. "Lady Blaze, the Demon who currently has Maelstrom under her thrall is a ruler of the second circle. She will have many hundreds of Demons under her command who will fight us every step of the way."
"And more than likely, Maelstrom as well." Rex Mason helpfully pointed out.
"Not to mention the Demon herself." Clifford Steele added.
Unperturbed by this interruption, Jason carried on. "Precisely and while handling the Demons will be quite simple. The more powerful and dangerous Demons have all been dealt with. Maelstrom and Lady Blaze are two very serious threats that as we are if they were to work together, we would not be able to defeat."
"Divide and conquer?" Amy Allen suggested.
Nimue shook her head. "Might work on Lady Blaze, but not on Maelstrom."
"Madame Xanadu is correct." Jason concurred. "Out of all those gathered, there is not one of us here who has the strength necessary to defeat Maelstrom. His skills alone would make him a rival to the likes of Batman. His magic, while not as controlled as mine or Xanadu's, his destructive capability puts him far beyond our level. However, if that was it alone, we might be able to emerge victoriously, but Maelstrom's biggest advantage is his Demonic powers. His power is indicated by tails, the more tails the greater his physical prowess becomes. On top of that, he has a cloak that is toxic to the touch, even capable of harming an Atlantean and a Kryptonian. Prehensile tails, the ability to create clones and also capable of concentrating his powers into concentrated blasts."
Jason shook his head, knowing that earning victory over Naruto with the team he had would be all but impossible. He had grown far too much over the past four years, his skills and power rising rapidly.
"Maelstrom with but three tails of power was able to temporarily hold off Aquaman, Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Even temporarily knocking the former unconscious for a few minutes while later injuring Icon." Jason stated. "There is not one of us here who would be capable of the same feat and he did that four years ago. His power has grown massively since that time."
"So, what's the plan then?" Grant Emerson asked.
"We will be coming up to the citadel of the Second Circle as one group. Our aim will be to draw out Maelstrom into the open. There, we will split into two teams. The first team will be led by myself and comprised of Kyle Rayner, Amy Allen, Grant Emerson and Koriand'r."
Niles frowned in thought. "That is a very small group." He noted, already beginning to formulate an idea of what Jason was planning. "But a group that size would not force him to utilise his most dangerous powers."
Jason nodded his head sharply. "That is our hope and even if he does, we should be able to keep him at bay for a little while. However, it will be the task of the second group led by Madame Xanadu and you to deal with Lady Blaze."
Here Niles looked to his own hero team, a relatively new group called the Doom Patrol who had been in operation for no more than a few months at this point. As far as most were concerned, they didn't even exist, in fact, besides for Batman, the newly crowned Nightwing and Beast Boy, no one actually knew about their existence. Which was precisely why Jason had needed them.
A team that Dalkriig-Hath had no idea existed was something he couldn't stop from coming to Hell.
Among them was the leader, Niles Caulder aka, Chief.
Then there was Rita Farr aka, Elasti-Girl.
Steve Dayton aka, Mento.
Rex Mason aka, Metamorpho.
Lawrence Trainor aka, Negative Man.
And last but not least, Clifford Steele aka, Robot Man.
Hardly a team as powerful as the Justice League or even the Teen Titans and Young Justice, but not a team to be underestimated either. He then looked to the two remaining figures who would be part of this team.
Gnarrk aka, Caveboy.
And Isaiah Crockett aka, Hot Spot.
"Your mission is of utmost importance," Jason stressed firmly. "Lady Blaze has control over his mind, but if you can distract her, draw her attention elsewhere, her control over Naruto will weaken. Thus, allowing him to also fight back against her control. That is the only way in which we can win. If you don't succeed, then we will all fail."
There was a silence that followed, all weighing the weight and meaning of Jason's words. All wondering and asking themselves, could they do this?
So, another chapter done and with it the rebellion in Hell is over with. We get to see the full totality of Naruto's magical abilities and the training he has undergone with the Parliament of Vapors. Asmodel a former Angel of Heaven who followed Lord Neron down to Hell and became a Demon became his and Alan's major enemy. As skilled and as powerful as Naruto has become, going against the likes of Lord Satanus, Lord Neron and others isn't possible. Even Asmodel was a serious problem for both Alan and Naruto combined.
It was only thanks to Naruto showcasing his progress with his Demonic abilities by tapping into four tails of power that he was able to emerge victorious. On the downside however, Lady Blaze has taken a serious interest in Naruto, even going so far as to capture him in his serious weakened and vulnerable state. Now the Justice League Dark scramble to do something, while at the same time facing serious problems from the agreements they signed with the new Ruler of Hell, Dalkriig-Hath.
On another note, we now get a hint that Naruto's ability with wind may in fact be down to the elemental force, the White as noted by Asmodel. At the same time, John Constantine showcases his insane magical abilities by one-shotting Lord Satanus and seriously damaging Lord Neron in one go. In fact, Etrigan himself was barely able to survive, Sabbac himself seriously injured and Pharyngula also killed in the explosion. That's a serious number of very powerful Demons either killed or nearly killed from a single spell. As we saw though, it's a serious drain upon John's magical abilities and so isn't something he can just use all the time.
Anyway, only a handful of more chapters to go before the end of this arc and the commencement of Young Justice Season 2 arc, the final arc of Book 2. Now, let's get on with the questions:
Inzaneamaru: I'm considering others, but at this point in time I'm not a hundred percent certain. It's a possibility, but not a definite. Yes, she will, it will be a catalyst in Naruto's life that pushes him to make some changes in himself and incidentally caused problems for other people. And if you have more questions, definitely ask them because I love reading views where people are wondering what could happen next.
Guest: It's not a low ball, Naruto at his peak is planetary level, that's including Bayron Mode Naruto, I'm not ignoring Boruto powers however retarded the power scaling in that is. But let me break this down into different categories: Speed, Durability, Strength, Skill and Abilities.
Starting with speed, it's not even a fair fight, Naruto gets stomped easily. The Green Lanterns, even nameless grunts have been seen able to travel from one edge of the universe to the other in a matter of hours, that's many thousands the times the speed of light. Considering Naruto has never really shown light speed movement, only light speed reactions which is different. Therefore Naruto could get blitzed before he has a chance to react.
Durability, this is about equal. Naruto and Lantern grunts (not just Green, but all Lantern Corps members besides Black and White who are even higher), have showcased varying but on average, equal levels of durability. Most Lanterns have shown the ability to survive planetary explosions, but are more likely on small planetary attacks.
Strength is equal. Naruto has shown incredible feats of strength, but there are a vast amounts of planets in the DC universe. Therefore, its likely he'll encounter those weaker, equal and stronger than him. Skill goes to Naruto, he showcased the ability to go up against Momoshiki without Kurama for a short while, that takes an insane amount of skill. Finally, abilities is equal. Lanterns can do anything with their rings, but is highly dependent on their abilities to think up those constructs. Naruto has a limited repertoire of abilities that are highly powerful. Ultimately though, what both can do equals one another. Therefore Naruto can range from being the weakest of the Lanterns, to being at the very top, below their elites who are beyond planetary.
Gazz Uzumaki: Yep, that's why I've taken into account mostly the Fourth Shinobi War feats as well as the Last Movie. But I've not ignored Bayron mode and so on just so people can't complain that I didn't.
If you have any more questions, please let me know as I not only love to read them, but also will try and answer them as best as I can without major spoilers.