Tokyo, November 21, 8:30 P.M.
Rain pelted down on the city; the sound of the falling rain was interrupted by a pair of footsteps. A brother and sister walked down a sidewalk with a clear umbrella shielding them from the rain. The brother had just picked his sister up from a friend's house as on schedule. His friend lived closer to her school and babysit her while he worked. They've lost their parents years ago, leaving them with only each other.
"Can we get ice cream on the way back?" The sister had asked.
He chuckled, despite his exhaustion, "Sure."
He had taken a job as a security guard for Lexcorp. His history with martial arts made him a perfect candidate for the job. He regularly worked overtime to make payments for their apartment.
Taking a turn they head towards the metropolitan area. They walked by various shops before they made it to the ice cream parlor. She ordered strawberry ice cream and he ordered chocolate. They headed out and began to lap at their ice cream and admire the rain.
They continued to eat before a man in a red cloak roughly pushed past them forcing the sister to drop her ice cream. The brother glared up at the man who was running, "Hey!"
He was about to go after him before the ground shook with a deafening boom. He turned around to see smoke and fire coming out of one of the many stores. People were running and screaming when a second store blew up. He grabbed his sister by the arm and began to move with the crowd. One by one each store erupted in flames.
People pushed and shoved each other aside trying to get away from the smoke. The chaos forced the siblings to fall to the ground. The brother quickly covered her body with his own as people trampled over them. The sounds of the explosions grew ever closer.
In an instant, the sounds of screaming and crying ended with a single explosion.
Now all he heard is silence.
Mount Justice, December 7, 2:30 P.M.
The past two weeks have been eventful for the team. Red Arrow, Red Torpedo, and Red Inferno have joined the team. This led to severe tensions between certain team members. Hunter and Conner didn't much like Red Arrow, the archer in question didn't trust Conner, Artemis and M'gann. The team's last mission shook Kid Flash's trust and confidence in Artemis.
Batman hoped a new mission would unite the team, "For the past two weeks, members of various criminal organizations have turned up dead." He announced gaining their full attention. Images of bloody crime scenes appeared behind Batman, shocking the team, "The murders started in Japan before moving through the Korean peninsula, China, Mongolia, Russia, and Europe."
"How do we know these murders are connected?" Robin asked.
Each of the images zoomed in, revealing identical kunai blades embedded in the bodies of the dead, "Each crime scene shows that the victims had been murdered with knives, swords, and blunt force trauma." He answered, "And there was only one kunai found at each scene."
"A calling card?" Wally assumed.
"A warning." Batman corrected, "Whoever is doing this wants these organizations to know that they're coming."
"Could it be a new organization trying to make a move?" Red Arrow asked.
"No. Weapons, drugs, and technology were left untouched for the authorities to find." Batman replied, "Whoever is doing this isn't trying to take over, they're trying to exterminate."
"Do we have any idea where they'll strike next?" Aqualad asked.
"The last attack was on a League of Assassins hideout in Belgium. We've narrowed down possible targets in France and England." Batman replied as two maps appeared above them, "You'll split into two teams. Alpha team, you will head to London where Intergang has taken up residence in the old London underground. Beta team, you'll head to Paris where Kobra has gathered his cult members in catacombs beneath the city. This is strictly a recon mission. Once you've identified the group responsible for this the League will intervene."
Knowing the severity of the situation the team agreed. Aqualad and Robin split the team into alpha and beta.
Aqualad's alpha team consisted of Kid Flash, Red Arrow, Zatanna, Red Inferno, and Superboy. Robin's beta team was made up of Wonder Warrior, Starfire, Red Torpedo, Miss Martian, and Artemis. Given that both objectives were in cities they decided to use the Zeta-tube.
The team went back to their rooms to prepare. Wonder Warrior decided to bring his sword, shield and spear. Once he was ready he exited his room where he found the door to Conner's room open. He silently approached the Kryptonian's room and found him looking down at the box of shields.
"Don't." Conner sighed, pocketing the box.
"Don't what?"
"Tell me what I already know." He replied, "I have to tell them but. . ."
"You like how strong they make you." Hunter replied.
"Not just that." He replied, "It makes me feel like how I was meant to be."
Hunter approached the clone and gently rested his head on Conner's chest, "You're more than what they made you for." He looked up and cupped Conner's face in his hands, "You've always been."
Conner leaned his head down, gently pressing their foreheads together, "You don't want me to use them, do you?"
"I just want to know what they're made of." He replied, "I want to know if they have any lasting side effects on you."
Seeing the reason in his words Conner nodded, "Fine. I don't need them for a recon mission anyway."
Unknown Location, Unknown Time
The green glow of the Lazarus Pit illuminated the otherwise dark cave. Ra's al Ghul stood over the pit, waiting. His daughter, Talia stood a few steps behind him in stoic silence. The recent attacks on their temples have made her father cautious.
"It isn't working." Ra's muttered before he nodded towards the pit. A few of the assassins stepped into the pit and fished out the body of one of the many assassins that were cut down in the recent weeks, "Impossible."
"Not entirely." The shrill voice of Klarion had everyone turn around.
"What are you doing here?" Ra's asked as he watched the body being carried away.
"Everyone's been abuzz with the supposed new threat carving their way through our subordinates." He cackled, "Even Ares is beginning to show interest in them."
Ra's raised a brow, questioningly, "And why is that?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're no match for them." Klarion let out a cackle, "Their souls were taken. That's why your green goop isn't working. A body's an empty shell without a soul to harbor it."
"So, if I confront this new enemy myself – "
"You'll die." Klarion said before he added, "Permanently. And I doubt you'd like wherever they were sent away."
Ra's glared at the lord of chaos, "Savage sent you to make sure I don't do anything rash."
"And to inform you of what we're dealing with." Klarion replied before allowing Teekle to jump out of his arms, "What we're dealing with isn't a group of people, it's a single warrior."
"Impossible." Ra's snapped, "No one person could wipe out that many of my assassins."
"But it isn't a person, not anymore at least." Klarion chuckled as Teekle lapped at the Lazarus Pit like a bowl of milk, "This is a spirit of vengeance."
"The Spectre?"
"Not the Spirit of Vengeance, a spirit of vengeance." Klarion explained, "I've seen a few before. They seek out the souls of the wicked to deliver to whoever they struck a deal with and in return they gain many abilities."
Ra's nodded to Talia who nodded in return before walking away, "What kind of abilities?"
"It depends on who they made a deal with." The Witch Boy replied, "But from how quickly your guys were cut down I'd say that whoever was brought back was already quite the scrapper. Teekle." He called for his familiar, "Anyways I've got to run. Good luck with the eventual collapse of your League of whatever." He opened a portal and jumped through with the cat close behind.
"It's done father." Talia informed.
Ra's only walked passed her. He felt great shame in himself. The League of Assassins, running and hiding from a single person. It's humiliating.
London, 9:23 P.M.
The moon shined in the cloudless sky above the city. Beneath the city beyond the reach of the moon's light were the criminal group, Intergang. They used the abandoned train tunnels as a staging area for their next shipment of weapons. The light of a boom tube lit up the dark passageway. Out came the a cloaked figure.
"Desaad." Whisper A'daire greeted, "What have you got for me?"
Desaad smiled as two large figures appeared behind him.
The Intergang members took a few steps back at the sight of the two large red robots.
"Pacifiers." Desaad said, "They are our enforcers on Apokolips. They are fully capable of destroying your planet's heroes." He explained much to Whisper's pleasure.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. Red Arrow and Zatanna. Zatanna had made the two of them invisible, allowing them to get closer than they usually could. Roy recorded the meeting, allowing the rest of the team to see the shipment. The heroes watched as Desaad explained the many capabilities of the Pacifiers.
"Those things are seriously freaking me out." Zatanna whispered.
"No sign of any third party." Red Arrow replied, "Maybe they're having better luck in Paris."
Just then the heads of the Pacifiers fell from their bodies causing everyone to freeze in shock as the robotic bodies fell to the concrete floor. Next they were a scream as a one of the Intergang members was pulled into the darkness of a unlit hallway. They all began to fire alien weapons at the hall, lighting it with red bolts of energy. The light revealed a black figure in black robes and armor, a silver mask and bamboo hat concealed his identity.
"Kill him!" Whisper ordered as she activated two energy whips.
"Aqualad the third party's arrived." Red Arrow informed as he watched Intergang continue to fire.
"How many?" Aqualad asked through the comm.
"Unclear." Zatanna replied as they moved around the group to get a clear look at the new comer.
The bolts of energy bore through the stranger. He stumbled back and leaned back against the wall. The Intergang members ceased their fire. They moved closer to the man checking to see if he's truly dead. One of them men nudged his head with his gun and smiled.
"He's dead." He turned around to face the rest of his gang, "We got the dumb – "
His voice was cut off by the sound of a sword erupting from his chest. The metal mask appeared over his shoulder causing them to once again fire. He used the corpse as a shield before he threw a single kunai at the group, missing them. In an instant he appeared across the room behind the gang and raised his sword.
Red Arrow and Zatanna could only watch as the lone warrior cut down the Intergang members one after another.
"Red Arrow to Aqualad, the third party is a single person." He informed as he watched the black figure flipping over Whisper and kicking her across the room, "He's very skilled, armed with a chokuto and knives. Do we engage?"
"Negative." Aqualad ordered, "Wait for us."
Desaad watched the slaughter and smirked, "Most impressive." He then backed away into the boom tube, returning to his homeworld.
With the boom tube gone the hall was only illuminated by the red bolts from their guns. Blood splattered across the floor and walls as the criminals were cut down one right after another. Red Arrow grew impatient and aimed an arrow at the dark figure. He tried to find a pattern in his movements but he moved so fast he appeared as a black blur.
"Aqualad said – "
"He'll be gone by the time they get here, we can't let him get away." The redhead replied as he saw the stranger slice through the chest of a female member and saw his opportunity, "I got you." He released the string and the arrow flew across the room.
In a move too fast to see the lone warrior cut the arrow out of the air with his sword. He raised his head toward their direction revealing two smoldering red eyes shining from behind the mask. The pit of flames that were his eyes caused the two heroes to freeze in place. Despite being invisible it seemed like he could see them. Before either of the heroes could do anything two red energy whips lashed at the masked man.
He easily evaded the attack before he charged at Whisper who continued to lash at him with her whips. She charged the whips before unleashing two ribbons of fire towards the man, seemingly burning him. Once the flames died out he was nowhere to be found. Realizing what he's doing Whisper quickly lashed her whips around towards her back but he wasn't there.
He appeared above her and with a long arching slash her head flew over her body. Red Arrow and Zatanna watched as the masked man easily landed on his feet. The room was once echoing with the sound high pitch blaster fire and ringing of steel but now it was completely silent. With a quick swing of his sword the blood flew off of his blade before he sheathed it.
"I know you're there." His rumbling voice rattled their bones as his blazing red eyed looked towards their direction, "This has nothing to do with you."
Dropping the cloaking spell, Zatanna said, "We have to take you in."
The masked man ignored her as he began to make signs with his hands. Red Arrow aimed another arrow at the man, "Drop the weapons and surrender!" He ordered.
The masked man continued to ignore them.
"Zatanna." He looked at the sorceress who nodded.
The magician spoke a spell and the masked man was ensnared in chains. He seemed unfazed as he looked down at the chains and easily broke them off and continued making hand signs, "I'd back away, it's coming."
"This is getting ridiculous." Red Arrow began to approach the masked man before Zatanna caught his shoulder.
"Back away!" She screamed pulling him back just as a ghostly specter appeared put of the ground.
The specter's body was shielded by a blanch white cloak. The spirit faced away from the heroes and towards the masked man. They conversed in Japanese before the a pale gaunt hand came from within the cloak. It raised its palm and the sound of ethereal wailing echoed through the long and dark hallways.
"What's going on?" Red Arrow asked.
Zatanna watched as the spirits of the criminals were forcefully pulled from their bodies, "I think. . .it's taking their souls."
They watched in silence as the spirit collected their souls into an orb before it sunk into the ground revealing the mask man. Roy immediately fired another arrow and the man easily caught it. He snapped it in his hands before he was knocked across the room by a yellow blur. He easily flipped onto his feet to face the new attacker.
"Whoa an actual ninja." Kid Flash said as the rest of the team arrived after him.
"Surrender." Aqualad ordered, "You're outnumbered."
"And outmatched." Superboy added.
The red orbs scanned over the group of heroes before sheathed his sword over his back, "We shall see." He replied before he raised his arms.
Wally scoffed before he dashed towards the ninja. The masked man reacted quicker than the speedster expected and threw a kunai at him. The redhead spun around, easily dodging the blade and continued his run towards the ninja. He raised his fist and aimed his punch to make direct contact with the metal helmet.
The masked man moved faster than even the speedster could see. He seemed to flash above Kid Flash before he delivered a powerful kick to his face. Everyone watched in shock as Kid Flash was sent flying across the room from the strength behind the kick. Wally hit the wall, cracking the bricks before he fell to the wall and screamed in pain.
"He broke my nose!" He screamed from behind his hands.
"Cease your hostilities!" Red Inferno ordered, creating a cage of fire around the man, "Hostile contained."
The man looked at the cage around him before he raised his hand. With a single swing of his arm he unleashed a gale of wind strong enough to dissipate the flames. The team braced as they struggled to stay on their feet against the wind. The wind sent Red Inferno flying into the ceiling.
Conner grunted before he jumped across the room towards the ninja with his arm raised. The masked man dodged the attack with a back handspring before Conner went for a second punch. The man caught Conner's fist with surprising ease. He then used his second fist to send a punch to Conner's gut. The force behind the punch lifted Conner off the ground allowing the masked man the opportunity to raise his knee to hit Conner's chin before he sent the clone flying with a spinning kick.
"Red Arrow, Zatanna, cover me!' Kaldur exclaimed as he formed two aqua swords and charged at the man.
Seeing Kaldur's swords he pulled out his own, deflecting the many arrows the redhead fired at him. He moved to meet the Atlantean half way but he couldn't move. He looked down to see his feet sinking into the ground. He grunted before looking up to see Zatanna chanting a spell. Aqualad swung his swords down at the masked man but he disappeared once again.
Zatanna's scream caught the attention of the two boys. They both turned around to see the sorceress fall to the ground. The masked man stood above her and looked up at them.
"No." His deep voice echoed, "Your souls aren't tainted. She wouldn't want them." He declared before he disappeared once again.
Kaldur and Roy waited a moment before they decided that he finally left.
"He's gone." Aqualad said before looking up at Red Inferno who descended from the ceiling, "Did you get it?"
"Recording is complete." She affirmed.
Paris, 10:30 P.M.
Deep within the bone-lined passageways of the Paris Catacombs, Lord Kobra had gathered his cult. The cultists gathered around their leader in a sea of red cloaks. They waited for their leader to finally speak as he twiddled with a kunai in his hands. The followers all watched as their leader turned his gaze up to them before he raised the kunai.
"My faithful followers." Kobra finally spoke silencing the murmurs of his loyal subjects, "For the past weeks a blasphemer has defied my will. He's slaughtered my faithful followers and has left these weapons as evidence of his heresy!" The crowd began to holler and curse at the kunai.
Unknown to the cultists amongst them stood beta team. Robin's plan was too knock out various members of the cult before stealing their clothes. They carefully filtered into the crowd, blending in with the rest of the cultists. They positioned themselves around the group surrounding them.
"Fear not." He assured, "This blasphemer will fall in my presence. He will fall in the face of my divine might. No one on this earth could ever survive the wrath of a god. I will find our enemy and wipe him from the face of the – "
Kobra's voice turned into a choke as he coughed out blood. The cult leader looked down and saw a thin blade sticking out of his chest. Despite the pain he looked over his shoulder to see two red eyes looking at him, they burned like the pits of hell. These eyes looked beyond his physical form, looked deep within him into his very soul.
The team stood in shock amongst the cultists. How did he slip in the catacombs without any detection? M'gann didn't sense his mind nor did Hunter hear him coming.
"Real gods don't need to boast about their power." The masked man said his voice echoing throughout the catacombs, "Real gods need only to stand in the presence of mortals to prove their might. You are only a pretender, a pretender who'll die like all the false gods before you." He said before pulling the sword out of the leader.
The followers all watched as their leader fell to the ground, dead.
"You've all caused an endless amount of suffering in the name of a false god." He declared and looked across the room before his eyes landed on Hunter's hooded form, "Now it's time you all face justice." He raised his gloved hands and laced his fingers together.
Suddenly the catacombs began to rumble around them. The ceiling above them began to crack and rubble began to fall down. The cultists were frozen in their place, fear paralyzing them.
"Everyone get out of here!" Robin ordered as the cave began to collapse around them.
This snapped all of them out of their fear induced stupor. They all began to shove and push each other as they flooded out of the cave. Hunter saw his opportunity and whipped his lasso at the shadow. The masked man saw this and easily dodged the lasso, diving to the side.
"What are you?" Wonder Warrior asked as the masked man stood across from him, "You're not entirely human."
Hunter felt a familiar yet foreign energy radiating from the shadow. He exuded an all encompassing energy that made it feel almost too hard to move. He's only ever felt this type of presence around Ares and his mother whenever she unleashed her full divine strength. He may have the blood of gods within him or perhaps even working for them.
"Who or what I am I irrelevant." He responded before he looked down at Kobra's body, "My work here is done." He said picking up the kunai from the floor.
Feeling a strange energy coming from him Wonder Warrior reacted faster than the shadow thought possible. He tackled the ninja just as he disappeared. The two of then instantaneously appeared somewhere else entirely from the catacombs. They rolled across the floor before Hunter used their close proximity to wrap his lasso around the masked man's wrist before he was roughly pushed off.
Hunter landed on his feet just as the shadow drew his sword and swung it down at his lasso. Much to the assassin's shock the sword couldn't cut through the rope. He glared up at the prince as he climbed onto his feet. He's trapped.
"I've got you in my Lasso of Enticement, you can't perform your disappearing act now." Wonder Warrior stated, "Answer me, what are you?"
The shadow looked down at the lasso around his wrist before he grabbed it, "You want answers?" He muttered as the lasso began to turn ink black around his wrist, "Then have them." Hunter watched as the black snuffed out the gold, making its way up the lasso before finally reaching his hands.
Suddenly his surroundings turned into complete darkness. The shadow disappeared from his sight and the lasso seamed to evaporate from his grip. He looked around at the darkness around him. It seemed endless.
"I was once known as Jin." The shadow's voice reverberated throughout the endless darkness.
What seemed like a shockwave pushed the darkness away, revealing that the Amazon stood in the middle of a street. He looked around to see and immediately recognized the architecture as Japanese. He's using the lessons ability to project images in his mind.
"The man I once was lived a difficult life." Hunter saw a young adult walking down the street with a young girl, a child. The adult had long hair he had tied into a tight bun and lightly tanned skin, "He had lost his parents at a young age to a sickness. He was forced to mature faster than a boy his age should've." Hunter followed them down the street, "He had just graduated high school but was forced into work so he could provide for his sister. A sister who mattered to him more than anything."
He watched as the brother dropped the sister off at school before making his way towards a train station, "His expertise in martial arts got him a job as a security guard at the Lexcorp building in Tokyo. This was temporary however as he planned on becoming a police officer." His echoing voice sounded almost mournful.
"But he never did?" Hunter assumed.
"No." He replied, "He would die before he ever got the chance."
"How did he die?"
The scene changed into a raining night. The brother and sister stood underneath the cover of a building, eating ice cream. They looked happy and content. However a man in a red cloak ran down the sidewalk and shoved into Jin.
The prince immediately recognized the red cloak, "A Kobra Cult member."
Just then the entire street erupted in flames. The numerous people in the area began to run in all directions, desperate to get to safety. The brother and sister were caught up in the chaos as they were struggled to stay upright amongst the frantic crowd. Hunter watched in shock as they shoved to the ground and trampled over the brother who used his own body as a shield for his sister.
"He failed to protect his sister." The shadow's voice trembled with rage just as fire and smok engulfed the Amazon. They brother and sister no doubt died, "But death wasn't the end."
The smoke dissipated revealing Jin on the floor, alone. The land around him was desolate and the sky above him was red. Despite all of this it seemed familiar to him. He stood up to find that most of his energy seemed to be drained. With his weakened state he began to move stumble around, hardly being able to stay upright.
"He walked around aimlessly for what seemed like an eternity." The echoing voice said, "With each step he became more aware of his surroundings before finally realizing that he was in the underworld, the polluted land of Yomi. He lashed out, screaming out in frustration and regret and thirst for vengeance. What he didn't expect was an answer from the gods themselves."
"The gods?" Hunter watched as Jin's gloomy walk had ceased as a bright light broke through the red haze of Yomi.
"Izanagi the God of Creation and Izanami the Goddess of Death approached him."
Izanagi descended from the light and the red haze of the underworld took shape in the form of Izanami. The two gods towered over Jin, standing at ten feet tall. He fell to his knees at the sight of them ready for them to end his suffering. But what he waited for never came.
"Descendant of Hattori Hanzo." Izanami looked down at him, "We've heard your desires for justice."
"What you desire only has one outcome." Izanagi stated, "You would become our enforcer, our sword in the mortal world to cleanse it of the evil and wicked."
"Should you accept our offer you will forever more walk the line between life and death." Izanami said, "You would wield great power, enact justice all across the mortal world."
He met the eyes of the goddess, "Will I avenge my sister?"
"You will avenge all who've perished at the hands of evil." Izanagi replied, "I'm sure you've seen the atrocities that the villainous are capable of."
"Yes." He nodded, "But there are those who fight against evil."
Izanami spoke, "The heroes of earth have confused their refusal to kill their enemies as a sign of virtue rather than that of ignorance. They believe it makes them different from those they do battle with." Her tone indicated that she obviously doesn't hold the mortal heroes, such as the Justice League, with high regard, "Their refusal to take lives may give them the peoples favor but it also allows their foes to learn from their past mistakes, allowing them to grow wiser and more powerful."
"Lives must be taken to ensure peace." Izanagi stated, "Refusing this simple fact will only plunge the world further into darkness and chaos. Even now, their enemies have learned the art of subtlety and are already manipulating the very world itself. They've allied together to make a collective that threatens them."
"How can I stop this?" Jin shook his head, "If even the Justice League can't stop them. – "
"The mortals are unwilling to get their hands dirty for the greater good" Izanami stated, "Become our will, our wrath, our vengeance, our Onryo and you will singlehandedly put an end to their machinations."
Both gods held out their hands, offering them to him, "Do you accept?" Izanagi asked.
"Yes, I accept." He reached up and took their hands.
Once again darkness engulfed Hunter. He returned to where he stood before, with the lasso in his hands. The masked man, Jin, stood before him in silence.
"That is how I was reborn, that is how I became Onryo." He stated, "The evil of this world along with the ignorance of your Justice League is why I'm here. I'm a spirit of vengeance, I'm the answer to the darkness that is slowly taking over the world."
"Killing everyone isn't the answer." Hunter replied.
"And throwing them in prisons where they constantly escape is?" Onryo questioned, "People like them can only be stopped with the swing of a sword."
"And what of the ones who can be rehabilitated?" Hunter shot back, "What if you kill them before they get the chance redeem themselves?"
"And what if I kill them before they can take countless more lives?" The spirit replied, "I won't gamble the lives of innocent people for the slim chance of a sudden change of heart and if you are then you're no better than them!"
"And you are?" The prince shot back, "I believe in offering an open hand before the swing of a blade. Everyone deserves the chance to make up to atone for their sins."
"You're incredibly naive." Onryo scoffed.
"No, I have faith in the good that resides in all of us." Wonder Warrior said, "I've seen it even in the criminals that you deem irredeemable."
"Even if you do doesn't mean that they see it in themselves, they'll act on their darkest desires again and again and take more innocent lives while they do it." He said resolutely before he tossed his end of the lasso back to Hunter.
Hunter sees the reason in his words but shook his head, "We have to show them that there is a better way."
"Once they've given into evil there's no other way for them." He said finally, "Rehabilitation is an impossibility for people like them. Kobra, Joker, Intergang, and everyone else like them. They need to be wiped out. Don't you see?"
"Even if I do agree with you." Hunter sighed, "I have to try."
"I once thought at you did but now I see clearly. They need to be destroyed and end the cycle of conflict your Justice League enables or else we'll all fall in mutual destruction." He turned his back to Hunter, "You and your allies need to figure that out before it's too late." His red eyes spared the demigod one last glance before he disappear.
His words pulled Hunter in deep thought. His memories of the vision he had replayed in his mind. Heroes and villains were nearly wiped out by an invader, too busy fighting each other to see the true threat.
What if it's already too late?