The arena was of ancient stone, blocks of which easily weighed several tons. Above, walkways and bridges criss-crossed from one side of the large room to the other. Off in the distance were massive columns, which rose from a floor so far down it was covered in darkness, rising up to an also unseen roof. Staircases led to even higher levels, or lower ones depending on your perspective.

Oh, and it was all moving.

Even now, one staircase had pried itself from an upper level and was rotating to its right, coming to a stop when it connected to another platform. A bridge crumbled apart, its remains flinging themselves to another part of the room, where they reformed into a bridge of different design and style.

"Remarkable," Despero murmured.

Batman found himself with this small version of the galactic tyrant. Since they had been magically teleported here, the vigilante had been keeping an eye on the Kalanorian while trying to figure out just where they were. If the architecture was any indication—not to mention the sheer impossibility of this place—it was possible they were in the Tower of Fate. If that was the case, that was a very bad idea on Dr. Fate's part, a reckless action in fact. If Despero had free reign of the Tower, there was no telling what he could do or would become. Considering Fate didn't make rash decisions, he had his doubts. Perhaps this was some long-forgotten realm that only he knew of.

Fortunately, this version of Despero seemed more interested in studying this place. "I have been all across the cosmos, but I have never seen a place like this before," he continued to remark.

"I'd be surprised if you had," Batman replied.

This caused the Kalanorian to glance towards him. "Ah yes, the human," he said. "Tell me of this place."

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't."

"Such distrust—but then, when I was in your mind, I sensed that. You are a cautious one, are you not?"

Despero was fishing for something, the vigilante just didn't know what. Batman remained silent, refusing to give into this man.

"Your silence is telling," the Kalanorian continued, ignoring that the dark-clad man was refusing to talk. "You see me as an enemy, much like much of the universe. If I were you, I would be trying to figure out a way to defeat me."

Well, that much was true. Before the Kalanorian could speak again, there was a tremor, one that caused the masonry to rattle, ancient dust falling from higher levels.

Despero looked out to the vast arena. "No doubt it will be violent as the others have chosen. You strike me as someone that values intelligence."

"Is that what you think?" Batman questioned.

"Does it matter? The ultimate goal of any of us is domination and you are no doubt trying to find the correct method to strike me down." Despero peered over at him, a smirk on his face. "It is the same for myself. So instead of waging battle with our fists, why not use our minds?"

Batman narrowed his eyes. He fully expected a psychic attack; it was what Despero was known for. Thankfully, he didn't need to warn his own defender of the possibility.

And yet, Despero could surprise.

One of the stones that made up the platform they were standing on suddenly rose, the sound of stone sliding against stone filling the air. Once it reached waist height, it began to crumble apart, small pebbles pelting the floor next to it. It was a strange sight as Batman realized that this block of stone was carving itself.

That's right, carving.

An ornament table soon formed from the block, a couple of chairs as well. Even from where he stood, the Dark Knight could pick out a large square on top of the table, one that was comprised of many smaller squares, some darker, others lighter in color. Small pieces sat on opposite sides of the square, facing each other.

It was a chessboard.

Despero walked over to the table and chairs and took a seat in one. "Come," he said, gesturing towards the other chair. "I have a proposition for you."

Cautiously, Batman approached the table, slowly lowering himself into the remaining chair. "Instead of beating upon one another, I have another challenge in mind," the Kalanorian proposed. "One game, to the victor goes domination. The defeated must submit to the rule of the victor."

A game. A game of chess to determine the outcome of a battle. Something about that felt wrong, but Batman couldn't put his finger on it. Despite the warning he felt, he found himself accepting the terms.

"Your move."

Wind battered at J'onn's face as he flew head first over a stone bridge. From the opposite side, the hulking form of Despero charged towards him, heavy feet pounding on the stone, arms pumping from his sides to his front and back. The distance between them closed rapidly.

And then they collided.

The two combatants roared as they drew back fists at the same time, throwing them at each other like they were mirror images of the other. Their fists struck each other, the force behind the colliding blows seemingly forcing the very air around them to rush away.

Up and down J'onn's arm, he felt his muscles trembling. For a moment, he felt as if Despero's strength was much greater than he remembered it.

Then Despero took a step towards him and thrust his other hand forward, his palm slapping down on the Martian's face. Fingers curled over his head as he grabbed on. The next thing J'onn knew, he was being forced backwards and then down. Suddenly, he was forced into the stone surface of the bridge, Despero continuing to push against him. The stone crumbled and broke around his head and shoulders as he was shoved through and across the bridge, leaving a trench in their wake.

Suddenly, Despero yanked J'onn up, only to be swung through the air, the space tyrant twisting his body to one side before slamming the green-skinned man back down on the bridge. The force he used shattered the bridge, the two combatants beginning to fall through raining debris.

J'onn felt dazed from being slammed through the large stone blocks that comprised this room. Faintly, he was aware of Despero letting go of his head, only for his hand to grab tightly onto his shoulder. The next thing he knew, Despero slammed his forehead onto his, the headbutt snapping his head back as he cried out, spit flying from his mouth.

And then came a massive fist, which was followed by the other. Over and over, Despero pummeled him, slamming punch after punch into his face and chest, even as they fell through the air. It didn't stop even as they landed on a lower bridge, the force they hit it not even lessening as they burst through it much like the previous one.

However, once they had passed through it, Despero pulled J'onn to his right. Swinging his arm forward, he threw the Martian, sending him hurtling through the air until he crashed down on a platform. The stone broke and splintered, but it did not shatter, leaving the Martian to lie there stunned.

This strength, it was greater than anything J'onn had felt before. Even Superman did not compare and the Kryptonian was the strongest man he had ever been hit by. Since when had Despero had this much power? Though he was a strong individual, he had never displayed this much strength with such ferocity.

Slowly, J'onn pushed himself up, wincing from the throbbing he felt in his body. Ever since he had arrived in this place, his mind had felt clearer than he had aboard Despero's ship. In retrospect, his emotions were getting the better of him, especially upon seeing Despero. His anguish over the destruction of Mars, his sorrow at the desecration of his family's grave, they had overwhelmed him into not thinking clearly.

But here, while he still felt the anger and sadness, they were not all consuming. He could think rationally.

As he winced from general soreness, he spied a bridge that led to the platform he was on and on that bridge was Despero, charging once again like a massive hulk of destruction. He was snarling, his sharp teeth bared like an animal.

Quickly, J'onn got back onto his feet, all the while changing the composition of his body. He needed to be stronger, harder, something that would give the Kalanorian pause. The skin of his arms and chest turned silver as they took on a metallic appearance.

Despero then launched himself high into the air, sailing towards the Martian. Crouching down, J'onn then leaped towards the approaching Kalanorian, using all of his speed to close the remaining distance. Holding both of his metallic arms in front of him, his hands balled into fists, he raced towards his foe like an arrow, ramming his fists right into the man's gut.

And then the two were flying in a different direction, this one controlled by J'onn. Drawing back one arm, he slammed another punch into Despero's abdomen, followed by another with his other arm. He drove another one in just before he noticed Despero raising both of his arms above his head. Rage twisted the large alien's face before he swung both fists down.

In response, J'onn brought both of his arms up, blocking the double-fists blow. He felt the same incredible force as before, but he withstood it this time. However, his arms shook from the strain as he resisted his opponent, slowly lowering closer to his head.

This simply would not do.

Letting out a yell, J'onn's eyes turned white before he fired his Martian Vision. Its width was wider than any blast he had ever fired before and he found he did not care at such a display of power. His beam blasted Despero back and away, sending him higher up into the air.

In the Kalanorian's path was a large, thick, stone pillar. A staircase led up to it from one side, a second staircase emerging from its top, but leading in a different direction than the lower one. This gave the impression that this pillar was a landing for the two staircases. It was this pillar that Despero crashed into, the Martian Vision pushing further into the stone. Smoke and dust enveloped the area, hiding the large Kalanorian from sight.

J'onn stopped his flight as he stared at the crash site, waiting for his foe to re-emerge.

As the smoke cloud dissipated, a large chunk of the pillar was broken, caving inward. Despero was embedded in this broken area, arms spread out and hands gripping onto the masonry. The large Kalanorian growled upon seeing the Martian floating in midair, lips quivering from anger.

And then he roared. All three of his eyes glowed orange, the same light emerging from his wide-open mouth. Despero then fired his own blast, one that seemed to come from all three eyes and mouth, joining together to make an even larger, orange beam. The blast closed in on Jonn rapidly.

Quickly, he clasped his hands together and held them to his left. Timing himself, he then swung his metal-encased arms across his body, delivering a jackhammer blow against the large beam. The moment his hands came into contact with the attack, J'onn felt the tremendous power behind it, the Martian struggling to move his clasped hands from one side to the other.

He would not be denied; he refused to be denied. Bellowing, he managed to complete the swing of his arms and diverted Despero's attack. The large blast flew off, heading right for an incredibly large statue, one who's size dwarfed every feature of this room. It was made of some dark stone, possibly marble. It had the body of a man, but its head was that of a jackal, long ears protruding from its head and a snout from its face.

The orange blast struck the statue on the side of its face, detonating upon contact. A powerful explosion erupted, orange flames reaching out as far as they could. The force of the explosion spread out in all directions, shoving into J'onn moments later.

That…that was entirely more powerful than he had expected. Something was quite wrong here. Though J'onn felt that thought forming in his head, he found he did not have much time to delve into it. Despero had flung himself out of the pillar he was in, careening through the air towards him.

Immediately, the metal that covered J'onn's hands and arms began to spread further up, swallowing his shoulders before branching out across his chest. The metal dripped down his body and legs, flowing up his neck and the back of his head. Once it reached the top of his head, it poured down his face, encasing him completely in the densest metal he knew.

As Despero closed in on him, yelling all the while, J'onn let out his own yell as he threw himself at his foe.

This place was a dimension onto itself. Formed in the early years of the universe, the Lords of Order had worked on it for eons, adding to it whenever they had time to devote, or were simply wasting time.

It was the one place Dr. Fate felt they could battle without interference.

Currently, the sorcerer was surrounded by columns, ones that were plunged into darkness below and above. The fiery form of Despero was darting between them, back and forth and back.

Hovering in part to a levitation spell, Dr. Fate watched with curiosity with what this form was.

When he had divided Despero, he had done so to help his comrades. As one, Despero was quite formidable. Batman could not face his strength, nor his psychic powers. The Martian was in no frame of mind to battle him as he had in his prior encounters, rendering his most formidable power—his mind—useless. Then there was this strange power, one that seemed to shake the very fabric of the universe when it was used.

So he split the man, stripping him of his strength, his intellect, and his unworldly power. It was this power that the sorcerer faced now.

And for some reason, it was easily amused.

As it bounced between two columns, it came to an abrupt stop. It seemed to stare in Dr. Fate's direction for only a moment before it raised an arm up. It then threw a ball of purple flame right at him, the sorcerer countering with a wave his arm. The fireball changed direction in midair, flying off harmlessly.

The fiery being drew closer, moving away from the columns. Clearly its interest was piqued. It then held up both of its arms, pumping them back and forth as it began throwing fireball after fireball.

Dr. Fate snapped his fingers in response. A magical shield appeared between him and his opponent, the fireballs striking the shield and washing over it with their flames. There was no damage and there was a sense that there wasn't much power behind these pitiful attacks.

If this being wanted to test him out, then it would get its wish.

Dr. Fate raised his own hands up. Orbs of light formed against his palms, glowing brightly. "Begone!" he intoned before he fired a ball of magic from one hand, followed by the other soon after.

The magic blasts flew on either side of the shield, leaving it intact. Seeing the balls of light approach it, the fiery being suddenly darted back behind the columns, where each of the spheres collided. Undeterred, Dr. Fate began firing the orbs over and over, alternating from one hand to the next.

The being took off to the left, keeping the columns between it and the sorcerer. It ascended and descended as it flew, Dr. Fate's attacks hitting the columns and exploding, the fiery being keeping ahead of the explosions.

This was going nowhere. Stopping the attacks, Dr. Fate then pointed a hand out, making certain it was towards an area ahead of this being. In its path, an ankh appeared, golden light flowing from it. The fiery being flew headfirst into it, abruptly bouncing off of it with a sharp cry.

And then it stopped. Floating in midair, it stared at the ankh, seeming to glare at it.

Clearly it was distracted. Holding both his hands out to either side of him, Dr. Fate called upon his wealth of magical power, particularly his connection to this room of Gods. From the columns, cracks appeared on the stone surfaces. Abruptly, they shattered, pieces of the columns flying right for the strange being.

The being only noticed this happening a moment too late. The pieces of stone collided with each other to its side, startling it. All around it, the stone moved into place, forming a prison without bars. Soon, the being was enclosed on all sides, trapped within a crudely formed cage.

That only lasted mere moments before the stone prison exploded. The stone was consumed in purple fire, leaving only small, burning pebbles to fly off harmlessly. The fiery being, however, was focused right on Dr. Fate, so much so that it began charging right at him, coming at an angle that allowed it to pass around the shield without changing course.

Immediately, Dr. Fate began firing his magical blasts again, orbs of light racing towards the figure. In response, it began to bob and weave, avoiding each and every attack even as it closed the distance between them.

And then it was right in front of Dr. Fate. Reaching out with its hands, it grabbed onto the inner sides of his forearms, pushing them outward and stopping him from firing more of his attacks.

Getting a good look at its features, shades of the purple flames making what could best be described as facial features, Dr. Fate couldn't help but say, "What are you?"

In response, it giggled. It actually made a high-pitched, chuckling sound. Then it released its hold on him and darted away, leaving a purple streak in its wake.

Black Lighting stared at the control panel.

He made no move to touch it, opting to study it. There was a forcefield keeping him inside of his cell and he was pretty certain it had some nasty surprises should he touch it. The same could be said about the other Justice League members. No doubt they also had the arm-consuming restraints that he had on as well.

However, just because he was locked up didn't mean he was trapped. He could sense the electrical demands such a system required and he was feeling it out. The same could be said of his restraints. There was a power source he could feel. He just needed to familiarize himself with it before he made a move.

Outside of his cell, there were Thanagarians patrolling the corridor. They were in a large room, clearly the brig. If he were to get out, he would need to deal with them quickly. The question was did he target the guards first, or try and free the others as soon as possible?

Vixen was here, the same with Firestorm. They weren't bad people to have in a fight. Steel was there too, along with Fire and Ice. It wasn't a bad team to have, but figuring out who would help immediately should he have to break someone out first was a question. Out of all of them, Firestorm had the most power. Vixen was the most versatile; Fire and Ice were on opposite spectrums of each other, but each had something to offer.

There was also Hawkgirl, though she was kept in a different part of the ship. It was pretty clear that whatever the Thanagarians were up to, she was not on board. So once they got out of the brig, they would need to go free her. She had the most experience of them all, not to mention she knew her way around the ship.

Feeling as if he had a good sense for how the electrical currents were flowing, Black Lightning took a deep breath. It was now or never.

Well, perhaps not right now. He had to wait for a moment as the guard was walking by again. Black Lighting waited until the guard had passed by before he got to work. Focusing on his restraints, he stopped and then reversed the flow of electricity within them. A green light suddenly flashed from it and the restraints disengaged. Catching it, he lowered them to the floor so that it didn't alert the guard to what he was up to. Now for the control panel.

Feeling the flow from it, he raised a hand and small bolts of electricity began crackling between the panel and his palm. Suddenly, Black Lightning increased the voltage, sending a surge right into it.

Smoke immediately erupted from the panel and the forcefield flickered out. He was free! Immediately, he rushed out of the cell, spotting the patrolling guard further down the corridor. Holding up a hand, electricity crackling around his fist, he then fired a bolt right for the Thanagarian, striking him on the back. The guard let out a scream as he was electrocuted, body stiff from tetanus. The moment he stopped, the guard slumped to the floor, smoke wafting from his body.

There were surprised cries then, causing Black Lightning to whip his head in the other direction. A balcony extended out from high on the wall, clearly a station for the guards. Raising up his other hand, he fired a quick burst of electricity, causing the guards up there to duck out of the way.

Alright, that should buy him only a few seconds, so he had to make this count. Darting in the opposite direction of the guard station, he went for the first cell he could find, finding Firestorm sitting on the floor within it—perfect. Holding his hand up in front of the outer control panel, he did the same to it as he had done in his own cell, shorting it out. The moment the forcefield was down, he dove into the cell, just as plasma beams struck the floor where he had been standing.

"Oh, is this a jailbreak?" Firestorm questioned as he stood up on his feet.

"Damn straight," Black Lightning confirmed. Holding his hand to the hero's restraints, he shorted them out, causing them to detach. "It's time we got out of here."

"About time. Let's kick some big bird butt!"

"You take on the Thanagarians while I get the others out," the dark-skinned man said. "No doubt they're calling in reinforcements right now. Once I get everyone out, we're out of here."

"Got it." Firestorm then floated off the floor before he rushed out of the cell. Black Lightning was hot on his heels, seeing the flamed-head hero firing bursts of fire towards a Thanagarian that was flying towards him.

Ignoring this, Black Lighting darted to the next cell, finding Vixen within it. Doing the same as he had to his and Firestorm's cells, he had the model-turned-hero free in moments. "About time," was all she said.

"You're welcome," he replied, beginning to head to the next cell when he realized he had reached the end of the brig. That meant the others were held on the opposite side of the room. Spinning back around, he caught sight of Vixen grabbing onto the ankle of a Thanagarian and was whipping them around in the air. She must have snatched him right out of the air from the look of things. She then swung the man down, slamming him on the floor with a loud bang!

Higher in the air, Firestorm was backing away as a Thanagarian swung at him with an Nth metal axe. He was biding his time to counter, but if he wasn't careful, he would back himself into a wall and not have a good day.

So Black Lighting took aim with one hand and fired a bolt of electricity, striking the Thanagarian as he began to scream. The moment he stopped his attack, the guard fell out of the air, crashing hard on the floor. He bounced off of the ground once before settling back down on it.

Firestorm didn't seem to mind as he immediately surged forward, heading for the command station on the opposite side of the room, where more Thanagarians were emerging. Taking off into a run, Black Lighting went for the next active cell he could find. He had three more people to free and the sooner they were out, the sooner they could show these Thanagarians just who they were messing with.

Purple fire shoved away the wreckage of who knows how many ships. It left a clearing behind, the Kalanorian covered in the flames standing at its center. Peeling himself out of alien metal, Cyborg gave a growl, lowering his hands from where he had covered his face.

Adjustments to his arm cannon occurred, then he whipped it out and fired a sonic blast, the O-shaped attack screeching its way to lay down some pain. The Kalanorian brought his arms up and crossed them in front of his head, taking the hit and being pushed back, purple feet digging small trenches in the soil.

Lowering his arms, the Kalanorian grinned viscously, then raised an arm over his finned head. Purple flames gathered into the palm of his overhead hand, forming a ball of fire that predictably was fired right at the cyborg. Not willing to take it, not now, Cyborg fired a second sonic blast, and witnessed as the two attacks collided.

He couldn't resist the smirk as his sonic blast seemed to destabilize the fireball enough that all of that raging heat flared out in all directions. Whatever satisfaction he felt was tempered as he recognized how this fire ate his blast away, as if feeding off of it.

Tearing through the flame, the Kalanorian roared as he swung a powerful fist. Startled, Cyborg brought his other arm up just in time to block, taking the brunt of the hit. His arm trembled as he was punched back, his feet digging the trenches now. The Kalanorian didn't let up, swinging punch after punch that the cybernetic teen fought to block.

A hit slipped under his guard and got his torso. An alert appeared in his robotic eye, warning of exceptional force hitting him and that he should take better care not to get hit. Thank you very much, Dad, but he didn't think all that force was capable of getting through titanium. Unless…some of it was, which then meant his precious circuitry might have a problem with this.

He lashed out with his arm cannon, knowing that at this distance he wouldn't be allowed to get a point blank shot off. So he did the next best thing and used it as a club. It was easily caught by the Kalanorian asshole, but that's what he was aiming for. Turning his arm down, he pushed up with his legs and gained some height over the bastard while forcing the goon to hold him up.

Letting gravity do the rest, Cyborg let out a roar while swinging down with his fist, striking the purple asshole in the head. The Kalanorian bowed down from the blow, and for a second, he thought he might have won this one.

So naturally, the asshole had to look up at him with a bloodthirsty grin. A fin head rushed forward and rammed into the cyborg's chest. Surprised, Cyborg found himself taking a step back, which the Kalanorian used to turn around and then pull. His captured arm cannon now being used against him, he was flipped over a broad purple back and slammed down onto the scorched earth.

A foot planted itself on his chest. "The will of Py'tar can resist the might of pathetic machines," the Kalanorian sneered. "Victory was never yours."

His arm cannon was now aimed upwards, but the way the asshole was leaning was all the opening Cyborg needed. A sonic blast was fired, and it pushed away the Kalanorian, giving him some breathing room. Rolling off of his back, he scrambled back onto his feet and fired off another sonic blast.

It was a direct hit, and back the purple asshole went. However, he didn't fall or even go down to a knee. That purple fire just seemed to grow larger, licking at the air hungrily. That, and Cyborg started noticing movement behind the guy.

Other Kalanorians were standing among the wreckage of ships, holding their plasma rifles, but not doing anything. It was like they were watching, like some kind of audience.

The fiery Kalanorian chuckled, then threw out both of his arms and pressed the heels of his palms together. There was a mighty flash of purple, and the next thing he knew, a raging inferno was bearing down on him. For the fraction of a second, he considered firing any kind of blast he was capable of, then made a decision.

"Nope."

Titanium feet dug into the ground, legs bent, and then he leapt to his left, using as much force as he could get to get as much distance as possible. There was a detonation, and the force of the explosion slammed into him from behind, throwing him forward until he crashed front first into and partially through some ship wreckage.

It took reconfiguring his right arm back into default mode before he could get enough leverage to pull himself out. Something shifted and crashed, but luckily not on top of him. Looking over his shoulder with a narrowed eye, he spotted the fiery Kalanorian taking his time while stalking his way over. Footsteps ground into the dirt and that smile that promised only pain drew all his attention to it.

Abruptly the Kalanorian made a flourishing gesture with one hand, two birdarangs suddenly stopping in midair around him, then crumpled in on themselves before falling to the ground. Turning his head from side to side, Cyborg soon found Red Robin some distance away on top of some wreckage, a scowled on his face and another birdarang in hand, though he did not throw it.

Giving a snort, the purple flames flared around the Kalanorian and then rushed away from his body. Red darted away right before the spot he had been standing at detonated. With a spryness that surprised the cyborg, the vigilante ran atop the ring of wreckage encircling the area, even as purple-colored fire chased after him.

Jumping high, Red threw his birdarang, and the Kalanorian watched it with contempt. The purple fire caught hold of the throwing projectile, stopping it in its place. In the next second, the birdarang exploded, red fire mixing with purple and leaving only smoke in its wake.

Before the smoke could clear, several unconscious Kalanorians broke through the smokescreen, and the flame-covered Kalanorian was knocked flat on his back and covered by his comrades. Cyborg turned his head, and found perched on the cliffside Beast Boy. Held within two visible tentacles was a collection of beaten-and-out-of-it aliens, and with a third, several were pulled out and thrown to pile on top of their buddies.

A nice save, he had to admit, and truth be told he hadn't expected it. Still, he noticed how the other Kalanorians circling around them did not help, but continued to watch. Weren't they concerned?

The purple fire engulfed the pile of Kalanorians, incinerating them in seconds, and only leaving the one behind. He was standing up, glaring at the shapeshifted octopus who resumed throwing the Kalanorians he still had. A flare of purple fire caught the flying bodies, destroying them and causing Beast Boy to stop, not wanting to continue playing a part in killing people, even if they were a race of assholes.

Standing tall, the Kalanorian glowered, then began his march towards the shapeshifter. Not needing to guess where this was heading, Cyborg transfigured his right arm back into cannon mode, selected the energy feature rather than sonic, and prepared to fire. However, before he could take action, something hit the Kalanorian from behind, pushing the alien forward.

Stopping, the Kalanorian looked over his shoulder, and there was Red with his cape hardened into wings and currently being held in front of him like a shield. Man, the guy stole his thunder! Well, far be it for him to use his second wind while he had the chance.

The Kalanorian turned his body, threw both of his arms out to either side of himself, and fired two blasts of purple flames. One was aimed right for BB, who gave out a cry of shock and let himself drop from his perch on the cliff. Red didn't have it so lucky, taking the brunt of the attack with his hardened cape and being pushed back and out of sight.

Oh hell no, the asshole!

Suddenly, he felt something else in his head, applying pressure and stopping him in his tracks. The Kalanorian's eyes were focused on him, and he swore he heard a laugh inside of his head, but it wasn't his voice! It was someone else's, definitely…and it was getting…so…much…worse…

There was a slight lessening of that pressure as a yellow blur ran onto the scene, and circled around the Kalanorian asshole like a small funnel cloud. Kid Flash was lashing and striking out, multiple hits per second, wearing down the strong, alien body, at least until a purple arm shot out and caught the speedster by the head. With a snort of derision, the purple asshole threw the speedster away, the yellow-clad body flying over the battlefield, then falling down the cliff and out of sight.

And since everyone was trying to do the element of surprise tactic here, a screech of a bird signaled Raven's arrival, black wings enveloping and shielding him, ending the psychic attack immediately. Above, the empathic girl hovered, her cloak billowing behind her while her eyes glared at the alien asshole.

The bird construct…thing rushed forth, flowing over the earth as it headed right for the fiery Kalanorian. With narrowed eyes, the alien shielded himself with more of that fire and it seemed to ward away Raven's attack. The flames lunged forward and collided with Raven's raven, eating away at all the black that it could reach.

Raven showed no signs of surprise, and only formed a bubble around herself while a fireball raged its way to her general area. The attack collided and exploded, but Raven's shield held up, withstanding the attack. Dismissing the shield, Raven gazed down at the alien before descending, placing herself between the cyborg and the hated Kalanorian.

The two stared each other down, neither seeming to budge from this battle of wills. Then the Kalanornian smirked. "You have no chance, little child. Py'tar has blessed me with strength beyond your comprehension." He took a step, then another, slowly closing in on the suddenly much smaller girl. "My strength cannot be matched. My mind cannot be resisted. My power cannot be denied."

"Py'tar is not the end all, be all," Raven quipped back. Her head lowered slightly, her eyes peering from under her hood. "There are other powers out there, ones that Py'tar has no authority over."

Now the Kalanorian stood directly in front of a girl that Cyborg suddenly saw as way too frail. That smirk was even bigger now "We shall see. But before that day ever comes, if it even does, I shall tear your mind apart."

His eyes widened, flashing brightly with purple. The smirk widened until it revealed teeth. The purple flames that covered his body grew, a conflagration of power that declared to all that none could oppose it.

Then the screaming began.

The surprising part was that it was coming from the Kalanorian.

Purple hands slammed onto a finned head, fingers digging into flesh. The mouth opened as wide as it could, scream after scream pouring out of it. Eyes that had flared with power now dulled, exposing dilated pupils shrunk with terror. The purple flames became black, wafting until they extinguished and left behind only the Kalanorian.

The scream grew louder and louder until it reached a pitch that was nearly out of the normal hearing range of humans. As quickly as the screaming had started, it stopped, and the Kalanorian body fell back, hands clutching at the head in a death grip. With a thud, the motionless alien laid there, showing no signs of any kind of life.

Raven simply shook her head, as if clearing some mental cobwebs.

"That was enlightening," she drawled, turning her attention to the observing Kalanorians who stared at their champion, their own eyes wide with horror. "Anyone else want to try?"

A heartbeat passed, and then their audience fled, running for their lives and leaving everything in silence.

Cyborg could only stare at the bastard that had been giving them trouble, disbelieving the sight but knowing that his eyes, both of them, were not deceiving him. From the cliff, Beast Boy was poking his octopus head up, checking to see if the coast was clear. A pair of footsteps dragged along the ground as Red made his triumphant return, soot dirtying parts of his face.

The ones still in humanoid form gathered, standing over their fallen adversary, no one able to say anything about it, at least until Red Robin gave a chuckle and drew all attention towards himself.

Looking back at them with a wry smile, the masked teen said, "Who'd've thought? Evil, world-ending aliens are a superstitious and cowardly lot."

The fight between the Kalanorians and the Earth's defenses had been going on for some time now. The defensive line of Thanagarians and Green Lanterns had broken long ago, allowing for Kalanorian ships to breach the atmosphere.

However, this was all to distract from the true threat.

Emerging from within the armada of Kalanorian ships, the Py'tar Cannon emerged. Slowly, it was positioning itself, giving itself the best shot at the blue planet.

The crew operating the cannon were under strike orders from Lord Despero. No matter how the battle went, their primary objective was to destroy Earth. All other objectives were meaningless. Unless Earth's defenses failed quickly, then they had the authority to fire the cannon at their discretion. Even with Kalanorians planet-side, they all knew that they could be fired upon at any given moment. It was in their interest to quickly conquer the planet if they wished to live.

Within the barrel of the cannon, purple light began to appear, the gathering of Py'tar's power commencing. It would only be minutes now.

"Power cells are at fifteen percent," a Kalanorian announced from their station. "Increasing to twenty."

Stabilizers are containing power," another Kalanorian added. "No leaks confirmed."

"Earth is being targeted," a Kalanorian said from the most important terminal. This was the firing station. With one push of a button, the Py'tar Cannon could decimate all that stood in its way. "Locking in…locking in…Earth is targeted and locked."

The commanding Kalanorian heard all of this. "Once the Py'tar Cannon is fully charged, fire when ready," he ordered. "Glory to Lord Despero and Kalanor!"

"Glory!" the cannon's crew echoed.

Yes, Glory to Lord Despero and Kalanor.

A quick note: The form of Despero that Batman is facing is Despero's original form in the comics. In fact, his first appearance against the Justice League involved him playing chess with the Flash, and cheating at it while he did so.