Chapter 14: Decalogy
More chapters on my (P)atreon at Saintbarbido.
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(Davian's P.O.V)
"Davian!"
Chase yelled in alarm as black flames roared along the chains around us. Then we started burning.
The others screamed themselves raw while Harley laughed, seeming to enjoy the pain.
"Those are hell chains. They burn your soul and mind without really killing you."
Constantine's voice sounded out from my left.
I grit my teeth, enduring the pain while looking up at him.
"Yes! I'm a bastard." He spread out his hands.
"I make the choices that no one else has to!"
He was just behind Raven, on the outside of the huge pentagram but far enough that none of us could get to him. Least of all her. Raven, like the rest of us was ensnared in hell chains, eyes wide with pain while her body shook.
"Damn you Constantine!"
Ivy snarled, the Serpent breaking free of the chains and speeding towards Constantine. It sprayed its venom towards the magician, who looked not even the least bit worried.
"No!"
I yelled for her to stop but I was too slow. Constantine stepped to the side, hands in his pocket as the venom landed behind him.
The whole mind scape begun shaking when the Venom found a target. The huge Raven construct that had dove in to try to and rescue Raven.
The bird screamed as darkness surged out of its form from the hole created by the venom.
Raven's screams turned even more agonizing.
"Raven! Fuck! Constantine Let her go!"
I tried to get up by the chains seemed to weigh down on me. I couldn't call upon my Reiryoku or enter Shikai. The pain was even preventing me from using my Fullbring.
"Assero Animalis Vocare! I free your summons, Spawn of the World Tree! Return from whence you came!"
Constantine chanted and the Serpent begun burning in green flames, before turning into ash and scattering away into the air.
"Chase! Help!"
I called out in desperation.
"I can't seem to take control of your energy to free you!"
Chase answered, his tone hurried as well.
It was our last resort and even that had failed. Damn it! I had played right into Constantine's hands. I should have just killed him when I had the chance, instead of monologuing.
'No more. When I get out of here... he's dead. Utterly and completely dead.'
"You forgot what the lad said."
Constantine grinned as he addressed Poison Ivy.
"Venom from the spawn of Jormungandr can erode anything. Matter, energy even mental constructs designed to keep people out of someone's mind. And with the Lass's security feature down...one can enter or leave as they please."
With one last cry, the Raven disappeared. In its previous position was an unstable rift.
"Goodbye and..." he said as he turned around, throwing his next words over his shoulders.
"I'm sorry."
Then he jumped through the rift, causing it to collapse behind him.
And just like that we were trapped. Things only got worse from there. The whole Mind scape begun trembling even more intensely.
"You need to find a way out of here Davian. The destruction of Raven's soul self is causing a collapse in her mind scape. I estimate you have about 20 seconds before we are all dead."
Chase delivered the grim news.
Dammit.
(General P.O.V)
Kalibak and Ma'ale'faak walked silently through the darkened hallway of Darkseid's palace, their footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls. Ma'ale'faak's eyes glowed with a fierce intensity as he spoke in hushed tones to Kalibak.
"We must not forget my purpose here, Kalibak. And the wait is killing my efforts already. My people await action, and I am here to ensure the supremacy of our race, to rid my world of those who would stand in my way."
The White Martian complained.
Kalibak growled, stopping.
His massive frame towered over Ma'ale'faak.
"Watch your tone, Martian. Ambition without the power to back it up is a double-edged sword, Ma'ale'faak."
People took Kalibak for a fool. What they forgot was that he was a new god. He just liked handling things with his fists, that did not mean he was dumb.
"Be respectful in the presence of my father. He will not endure your nagging the same way I have."
The New God added, continuing to walk on.
Ma'ale'faak's lips thinned as he bowed slightly, cowed.
"Of course. I have nothing but absolute respect for Darkseid."
He quickly replied.
In his mind however, he held nothing but contempt. To him Darkseid's pathetic attempts to rule the universe, were just that, pathetic. For all his power, why stop at the universe? Why not below and above it?
"I will play the game for now, as long as it serves my purpose."
He thought.
They soon approached the entrance to the throne room, which had two para-demons standing guard, mostly for show. No one thought Darkseid needed protecting.
Kalibak took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. Then he pushed the huge doors in with minimal effort, walking in.
The ornate but grim chamber loomed before them, the size of a football stadium and draped with valuables and opulence from billions of worlds. Yet everything was in shades of black or red.
On a massive throne at the far end of the room, Darkseid sat, exuding an aura of power that made Ma'ale'faak's skin crawl.
Another New God stood by his side. A man long white hair and skin that was tinted purple. He seemed strong. But his strength was overshadowed by what sat beside him, as tall when sitting as Grayven was when standing.
The light from the nearby fire pit, caused Shadows to fall inside the throne room, concealing Darkseid's huge form. Only his scarlet eyes were visible. Sweeping across the two, judging and finding them unworthy.
Kalibak bowed and Ma'ale'faak followed suit.
And then he spoke. His voice was like a rumble. Ma'ale'faak felt the screams of trillions echo low under Darkseid's words as they died over and over again under Darkseid's Omega Sanction.
And Ma'ale'faak finally understood. He wasn't going after the heavens or hell because he didn't need to. He already had control over countless souls.
"Kalibak. And Ma'ale'faak, the white Martian supremacist. What brings you both to my throne room on this day?"
Kalibak straightened from his bow. "We come to reaffirm our loyalty to you, father, to offer my services in any way you see fit. He on the other hand...has a petition."
Darkseid laughed. The sound was harsh and unforgiving.
"Martian. You dare stand before Darkseid so boldly? You confuse bravely for stupidity. All your thoughts are laid bare to me."
Ma'ale'faak's mouth dried up, his white skinned and long limbed body shivering under the attention of this...thing. His thoughts?! But how!? He was a Martian! No one could read his mind!
Darkseid's lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"I see."
The New God said, causing Ma'ale'faak to blink in surprise.
"Uh excuse me?"
He managed to say.
"Your allies on Earth sent you here. Savage sent you here."
Darkseid replied, turning to his son, while leaving a speechless Ma'ale'faak. How had he known that?
"Their planet is undefended. The Kryptonian and his 'Justice League' are in shambles. Give me the earth."
Kalibak's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"I will do whatever is necessary to secure victory for you, my lord."
The scion bowed.
Ma'ale'faak's expression darkened as the fear was pushed to the side by anger and desperation. A part of the Earth was promised to him. He had already moved some of his operations there.
"And what of your deal with Savage Lord Darkseid? Will you not honor the deal you made with him?!"
In one fluid motion, a hammer swept his feet from under him, before the handle was held under his neck.
"Learn your place, Martian."
Kalibak growled.
"I apologize! I apologize for my disrespect Lord Darkseid!"
Ma'ale'faak hastily hacked, finding that he couldn't phase through the weapon on his neck.
Darkseid's eyes narrowed as he regarded Ma'ale'faak with a cold, calculating gaze. "I have no need for weaklings. Alliances are conditional. If you have enough mettle, then your enemies will become Darkseid's enemies. And they shall be crushed like bugs. Savage will need to prove to me that he can defend his claim for the Earth."
The New God explained.
"You came here seeking my forces for him to use to fully conquer his home world. How pathetic that you carry out his bidding whilst your own people are continuously under the rule of those undeserving."
Every word was like a bomb going off the Martian's mind. He found himself pushed away by Kalibak.
Ma'ale'faak's lips curled into a snarl as he laid on the ground, knelt before the Impossible.
"Then I humbly request for a boon, lord."
He implored.
"You do not need your entire forces to conquer the planet. Let me do it for you! Honor me with that glory. In return, I offer my and Mars allegiance to Apokalips. To you."
And with those words, the fate of two planets hung in the balance, as Darkseid's laughter echoed out across the whole of Apokalips.
(Davian's P.O.V)
"10 seconds remaining."
Chase informed me of the countdown to our demise.
The rumbling had increased and cracks of wild black energy started ripping apart the space around us.
"Well... this...is bad. Very very..."
Green Arrow bit out from my side.
"Shut up and let me think!"
I snarled in irritation.
How was I going to get us out of here? I strained, sweeping my eyes out at the rest. Everyone was in the same mess. Black chains with flames dancing along their lengths, reaching into their souls and burning them.
Then my eyes landed on Raven.
Yeah...that could work, I realized.
"9 seconds remai..."
I tuned out Chase and tried to get Raven's attention.
"Hey! Raven!"
She managed to raise her head.
"Everything...hurts Davian!"
She screamed.
"It's okay! I can get us out of here but I need you to trust me. Can you create a small rift to the outside world?"
I urgently asked, doing my best to ignore the pain.
"I... I can't."
She groaned out, hands crawling over the chains to try and remove them.
"We're probably going to die here...guys. So, been nice Ives." Harley said in a clear tone, as if she wasn't feeling the same pain we were.
"Shame that I never got to play with your whip, Kitty. Or your longsword, Copkiller."
"Raven! You can do it! I believe in you. Just a tiny rift. Don't you want to get out of here and kill Constantine for doing this to us?!" I roared.
"Do you want to let that bastard or your father win?!"
My words seemed to lit a fire under her.
"They...they should burn...as well."
She stammered out, raising a hand and aiming it at me.
The space between us started warping as a black vortex swirled into existence. The vortex was unlike the one before. The biggest difference being that it was small. Smaller than the eye of a needle in fact.
But it was more than sufficient.
"What are you..." Chase begun, before pausing. Then he started laughing.
Laughing in a way I had never heard before.
"I see. You truly are a worthy master, Davian Mabuz."
Through the small hole, a black string shot out, connecting me with the lone Shroud I had left outside the black dome. Through the string, I felt my awareness spread out to every Shroud in Gotham and then the county, then the U.S and finally...the entire planet.
It was overwhelming.
Overwhelmingly simple to give the command.
"Feed me your strength. Your energy. Yourselves. I WANT ALL OF IT!"
The world seemed to slow down as the string trembled in my hands. And then, in a never ending torrent came,
POWER.
(General P.O.V)
A GREEN RING streaked through the air.
(Elsewhere)
Constantine knew what he was. And, he never tried to hide it. If anything he embraced his reputation. It was easier that way. Those that stuck around knowing what a right bastard he was, were fools. His life was dangerous. That was a constant.
And to survive what even the heroes couldn't, needed more than a set of morals. It needed the inverse. A lack of said set of morals. And that worked. He had killed what couldn't be killed, outsmarted that which couldn't be outsmarted and outlasted everyone else in the same line of business.
It was telling that one of his closest colleagues, Deadman had only stuck around this long because...he was already dead.
But even for John Constantine, his current situation was something he didn't think he would survive.
He was up against a trans-dimensional being who carried the collective evil of over a billion worlds.
What he wouldn't do for a smoke right about now.
"Trigon!"
Constantine called out, standing on the edge of the crater, looking down and sensing a corrupt leyline node. The magic was tainted. The pool, sickly and a stain on the Earth. Even if Gotham survived Trigon, the land would still decay if the Lazarus Pit was not dealt with.
"I know you can hear me you red skinned uncultured cunt. Show yourself and face me!"
He bellowed into the crater, his sight obscured by the smoke covering the mouth of the deep hole.
But he didn't have to simply rely on his eyes. He muttered a spell under his mouth and his eyes briefly lit up with a white light.
They peered through the smoke and Constantine instantly took a step back, eyes widening in both fear, anger and desperation.
"No..."
He muttered, looking around him. His surroundings changing drastically, the sky became pallid. The fire burning on the buildings turned pale.
And the crater...
The crater was not what he had expected. Or at least it was, only he had not portaled in the location he had aimed for.
Instead he was in a mirror world, looking out or into the real world. And now that the veil was down, he understood just how fucked he was.
The sky had turned red. His teleportation had been hijacked and he had ended up somewhere like Gotham but not Gotham.
He was in one of the planes of the Under realm, a dimension under Trigon.
And immediately upon acknowledgement, everything went to its natural state. The air became stale as the wind begun blowing on the other direction. The color gradient of just about everything became grayer.
And whenever he looked deep into the Cavern, his sight was folded into two contrasting views. One was the smog colored sky of Gotham.
And the other was a wide view of the deep cavern from the sky, showing him Trigon, as he formed from tens of thousands of souls floating in midair.
Trigon's body started out as a mere shadow with four red eyes, then rapidly a skeletal structure formed, followed by Flesh and red skin. Before long, the Lord of the Under realm flexed his demonic body, roaring to the sky in supremacy.
The roar sent dust and debris near him sailing out.
The roar transitioned into a low laughter that begun sounding out of him. Trigon turned his sights on Constantine, his gaze piercing through the veil of worlds.
"John Constantine. Once again, you stand alone to face a foe. Only this time, your tricks will not save you."
Trigon said.
His voice was commanding and authoritative, with a deep resonance that emphasized his otherworldly nature and intimidating presence.
John brought his palms together and begun chanting at high speeds. He couldn't allow it to end this way. Not after the many sacrifices he had made.
Trigon's form begun growing, looming over Constantine.
Constantine spread his hands out and begun speaking in a strange tone.
"Enochian script? Hahaha." Trigon laughed, finding the notion funny.
"I am not like those petty demons from hell! I am Trigon the Terrible! Invoking banishment will not work on me. This form was constructed by the souls of ten thousand humans!"
The entity lashed out with a clawed hand. His hand seemed to cut through the layers of space separating the Under realm and Earth, headed towards Constantine. The claws phased through a yellow shield along the mouth of the crater.
Constantine's left eye lost color as he sacrificed it to bypass the restriction on magic on the Under realm, phasing through Trigon's attack.
It gave the demonic entity pause.
"Oh. So you still have your bite."
"Nice try but sod off."
Constantine grunted, a long trail of blood coming out of his left eye.
"You might not be a conventional demon but evil is still evil. And I will defeat you."
Constantine added, shooting back with a glare.
Around Constantine, 3 shadows formed up into tall, red skinned humanoid beings that closely resembled Trigon.
Trigon started laughing again.
"Meet my sons, Constantine. Unlike you, I know when fodder is useful."
"Oh bloody hell."
Constantine looked around, stepping back as each demon hoisted their weapons at him, eyeing him with vicious glee.
"You escaped death the last time my Daughter lost control to me." Trigon replied turning his attention to the sky, where the roar of engines sounded out. A few military jets passed over where he was.
"Your inevitable fate has caught up to you Magician. You failed to save Grandale, you failed to save Gotham. And you will fail to save the most important thing to you...yourself."
Constantine got to his feet. Behind the Demons and surrounded on all sides facing the crater were armies of demons, dark spirits and otherworldly creatures under the service of Trigon.
"Any chance we could have a chat about this Lads?"
Constantine asked, shifting his feet to face them all, while withdrawing a card from his trouser pocket.
"I don't know...how about you make it easier for us and just...die."
One of Trigon's sons suggested.
As they mobilized to destroy the Magician, Trigon continued absorbing the souls hanging around in the cavern.
The souls of the people who had been caged like animals.
They...had failed.' Constantine lamented, gritting his teeth as his eyes jumped from one Demon to another.
Really failed.
The strong back of a certain young man flashed behind his eyes. Maybe...
No! He was Constantine. He didn't need anyone, he'd faced worse.
The situation might have been bad. Over tens of thousands of sacrifices was not a joke. That kind of Power-Up was enough to even make the lowest ranked demon, a Duke. At least for a short time.
For a being like Trigon? One who could absorb evil? It would grant him a foothold on this planet.
The odds had been worse. Still...
"Well, let's get to it then."
Constantine told them with an upturn of the corner of his lips.
The demons jumped in, only for him to throw the card in his hands before them. It flashed blue and released violent streaks of lightning across the first group of demons to jump towards him with snarls.
The smoke and dust released covered the surroundings only for more of Trigon's minions to push through.
Constantine gritted his teeth, plucking out a single strand of his hair. Spatial magic was hard. Apart from the basic teleportation, he could only store objects on his own body. His hair became the perfect inventory. Each strand could store one thing.
A spell incantation left his mouth and the hair strand changed into a stone knife with inscriptions of power on its length. John brought the knife to his forearm, folding up the sleeves of his shirt. Then he sliced his forearm from the crook of the elbow to the wrist.
Instead of blood, a white mist escaped the wound and Constantine's body turned pale. His cheeks became hollow and sunken and he fell to his knees wheezing in pain.
If this didn't work...they would all be dead.
It was time for his final trick. It was time to call in The Spectre.
(General P.O.V)
Each soul absorbed brought him closer and closer to full materialization, fueling Trigon's power. It was meager, unlike what he could access on his true form but that would soon be taken care of. He only needed to find a vessel to house his form, birthing him a body he could exert his full power through.
There was a reason he had allowed Raven to stay alive, albeit as a shade of her true self. She would give him that.
And then the world would bow down or suffer.
"I told you daughter."
Trigon informed the remnants of Raven's spirit as the tornado of souls spun around him.
"Nothing can stop me."
He lashed out with a fully formed hand, the stones and debris around him shot out in a barrage of telekinetically controlled projectiles. They speared through the military crafts in the sky.
"Not your armies."
He then grabbed at a news Chopper that had flown too close. The metal groaned as he smirked viciously, then begun squeezing.
"Let them go!"
A voice said from afar.
Captain Atom, Wonder Woman, Shazam and the Hawk People flew in from the ruined city, weapons at the ready. They were what was left of the League. And they had mobilized right after the dome had gone down.
Atom's hands lit up, then he pushed them out, sending a long huge beam of energy at Trigon.
It smashed onto his forehead. Only for the entity to absorb it. Then his eyes lit up and an even bigger beam of red energy shot out of them, drowning the heroes under the devastating attack. He had reflected their attack back at them.
"Nor your heroes...villains...least of all you."
He concluded, adding more power to the beam and razing the surroundings. Most of the buildings still left standing went up in flames.
Raven looked on at the devastation she had caused and felt her heart break.
(General P.O.V)
Then Trigon turned his attention to the metal contraption in his hands.
"They shall learn to serve or die." The smile on his face widened.
"Death however will not be an escape. Your souls shall be devoured..."
The reporter inside the chopper looked at her colleague who was frozen in terror, staring into the eyes of Trigon. Then red veins begun appearing on his face, spreading out from his now scarlet eyes.
His skin turned slightly red and from his back blood burst out along with half formed black wings.
"Mark?"
Cat Grant asked cautiously.
The Cameraman's neck snapped to stare at her. He opened his now blackened and sharp teeth.
"Caaatt."
The Cameraman reached out with a clawed hand towards the reporter, Cat Grant who jerked away with wide eyes.
"Mark! Mark! No!"
The Cameraman lunged but Cat fell to her back, desperately pushing out with her legs. Her feet landed on the midsection of the Cameraman and sent him sailing through the hole in the craft.
The reporter was devastated; she was the one who had insisted they pull in closer. She was the one who had signed their deaths. She looked down at the rapidly disappearing Cameraman's body.
"I...am sor..."
Raven could only look on, unable to do anything.
"The exceptional ones, re-educated and forged." Trigon continued.
"Stripped of their morality. When put up against your friends and family...how long does it take for you to choose yourself?"
The metal separating the cockpit from their compartment was shredded through as the pilot, now with sharp claws begun to tear his way through, heading for Cat.
"No! Keith! Stay Away!"
Her hand scrambled for something on her purse. Something she had taken to carrying after launching off her career by exposing a huge drug trafficking ring. A small Beretta Pico. She aimed the already loaded gun and aimed it at her longtime friend.
"No!"
Raven's spirit remnants dove through the chopper trying to carry the woman away, only to phase through her like she did everything. She hated this.
"I... I'll shoot!"
Cat warned.
"Do it..." A sinister whisper went through her mind.
"Remember how he treated you when you first joined. They scorned you for your inexperience, dismissed you for being young...underestimated you for being a woman..."
'Yeah...they had.'
She said, convinced and started putting pressure on the trigger.
Then something fast sliced off Trigon's wrist. There was a roar of pain as Trigon stepped back, cradling his dismembered hand. Black blood burst out of his arm falling to the ground.
"Who dares?!"
He roared, scanning the area.
"That's what you don't understand father..."
Raven's left over essence spoke up from inside the chopper, a green shield around her and Cat. Trigon's hand seemed to burn away, releasing dozens of souls whose energy was used to safely fly the Chopper away from Trigon.
Raven looked at one of the souls, briefly touching it and this time her hand did not phased through. Instead she felt a gentle voice call out,
"Hold on."
As the hunk of metal flew under the multiple souls' power.
She looked out through the hole, a relieved smile on her pale face. She could feel her other self. Her true self calling out. And she could sense something else too. Someone familiar.
"I don't need an army to stop you. Or a hero. Or even a villain."
She affirmed, her voice growing stronger.
"I only need a badass friend who wants nothing than to kick your ass for being the single most horrible father in the multiverse."
Trigon followed his daughter's line of sight and saw what she saw.
"Impossible!"
The trans-dimensional entity reared back as if slapped.
"What is your KIND DOING HERE!? ANSWER ME GRIM REAPER!"
the air above him burned with green flames. Flames that covered long chains that whipped through the air, wrapped around the Figure's forearms.
The being Trigon was so wary of was dressed in a black, tight fitting costume comprised mostly of leather and straps that echoed a straitjacket.
The jacket extended to the ground, billowing out ominously. A flaming cat skull served at its head and face. For its eyes were deep dark holes that could induce madness the longer you stared.
Trigon recognized this being from his travels across the multiverse. An Avatar of Death. Or rather...death itself.
A being even he was wary to cross.
Something sharp whistled through the air and a long double bladed scythe landed in its arms. 'That scythe...' Trigon realized as he panicked slightly. It induced the feeling of the end. His wrist still bled from getting sliced off.
The Reaper pointed its skeletal finger at Trigon, cloak billowing behind him like a tattered flag. It twirled the scythe in its hands
"The souls of the condemned are mine to bear. The souls of the righteous must be allowed to pass on. You are not welcome here, Trigon!"
The Grim Reaper's voice was akin to billions of different voices, all adding up into one massive sound that bellowed through the heavens.
Trigon turned his sights to his daughter.
"You..."
He growled, his anger potent enough to fill the air with his energy.
"Do you have any idea what you have done!?"
He barked out.
"You have no business in this world, Father" Raven intoned, strength filling her as she spoke into Trigon's mind. "You will leave, or you will face the consequences." She told him while staring at the figure in the sky.
Davian.
"Whatever those consequences may be."
At the drop of her words, the Reaper moved. There wasn't any outrageous display of power. They streaked through the air, silently. Like death coming for an ailing old man.
Trigon roared in response, his eyes lighting up and firing red beams of energy. The scythe in the Grim Reaper's hands begun rotating, blocking the beam and causing the attack to split off to the sides, destroying the walls of the crater.
Then suddenly the Reaper was behind Trigon, a chain wrapped around one of his horns. Then the Reaper pulled and Trigon's huge hulking body was sent sailing out of the crater and away into the wider city.
Trigon's huge form tore a groove on the ground as he bounced off, destroying multiple buildings. Luckily, it was a section of Gotham City that had already been evacuated.
The trans-dimensional entity shook his head, getting to his feet.
"You dare?!"
He roared, his anger boiling as he grabbed onto the chain wrapped around his horn.
Trigon cried out in pain as the chains burned him. The chains wound themselves around his hands and then his body. All under the control of the Grim Reaper behind him. Trigon's head jerked to the sky as he sensed something approaching.
"You... you're mad!"
A huge meteor fell towards the Earth, burning with green flames.
A circle flashed and the Leaguers who were hit point blank by Trigon's attack appeared, unarmed.
Zatara breathed out a sigh of relief as the teleportation circle faded.
The league members looked around finding themselves on the top of a building. They weren't alone. Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad and Red Arrow stood beside them.
All of their eyes however were directed towards the sky. The League members followed their gaze just as Kid Flash spoke up.
"Is... he allowed to do that? Is... anyone?"
The young speedster muttered in shock.
"By Hera."
Wonder Woman cursed out, staring at the rapidly descending rock from outer space.
"If that thing lands, then let alone Gotham, the whole world will be destroyed."
Speedy muttered, strapping his bow as if it would have been useful against the incoming disaster.
"How can anyone wield that much power?"
Hawk-woman wondered, her grip on the mace in her hands tightening.
"Everyone."
Wonder Woman called out, crouching slightly.
"Captain Atom and I will try to intercept it. Robin, use the ear piece to inform Shazam to break apart any hide chunks that will break off from the main..."
"That won't work. It's not a normal meteor. Oh and Davian is not just anyone."
A voice sounded from behind them. A pitch black dome formed from their shadows. The League instantly went on guard, moving to protect the sidekicks. Once the dome unraveled, Raven stumbled out, one arm slung over Green Arrow's shoulder. The Archer's eyes swept through the team, looking for one specific person.
"Where's Dinah?"
He wondered.
None of the League members answered.
"Ollie..."
Wonder Woman shook her head sadly.
"She was injured while trying to take out Aquaman. Both of them are stable but under medical care."
The Archer's jaw worked like crazy.
"Soon as this cluster fuck is over... you're taking me to her."
He growled.
"No time to talk."
Raven told them, pulling away from Green Arrow's hold to stare not at the ongoing fight or the falling meteor but at something else headed towards them.
Something only, she could see. Her missing soul piece.
The missing piece flew down as both her and the real Raven extended one finger out. She stared at herself. Both their eyes burned with hope. A hope that had been ignited by him.
"He's fighting for us."
The Soul Piece told her.
Raven smiled.
"I know. So let's fight for him."
Their finger pads touched and a bright white light rushed out from the contact. The light formed into a large white Raven.
The meteor finally landed. And with it came a massive explosion that a certain ghost hero, Deadman witnessed from the outskirts of Gotham, wondering what was happening.
(Davian's P.O.V)
Power.
So much of it...
With each pull, each Shroud I devoured, I grew to heights untold. The collapsing realm stopped heh... collapsing.
Time seemed to slow down. I blinked and was suddenly looking at myself from a different angle, right where Catwoman was, body seized up in an expression of agony.
Then my Perception changed again and I was looking at myself from Karate Kid's angle. Huh.
"...ian?!"
Someone was shouting. I blinked and this time, I found myself in the Graveyard in my inner World, right in front of a frowning Chase.
"Never seen you make that face before. Wish I had a camera."
I teased him while looking around.
Yup. This was my inner world. How did I even get here? I mean the mechanics of how it worked was, I could only enter if my physical body was asleep or unconscious in the real world. But I wasn't either of those.
Chase popped to the left, draping his fat body onto a thin branch from one of the shrunken trees around the cemetery.
He hummed, scratching his chin with one sharp claw, in contemplation.
"You can sense the death in things. No..."
Chase's head turned in 360 degrees as he smiled. Almost as if he had stumbled upon a particularly juicy secret.
"You are the death in things."
He corrected himself.
I shuddered at the way his neck twisted around.
"First of all, gross." I told him.
He rolled his eyes and the pupils fucked off to somewhere, leaving behind the yellow sclera and a creepier smile.
I ignored that.
"Secondly death? What do you mean?"
Chase popped to my shoulder, blue mist wafting off his tail with a frick to coalesce in the image of a small scythe.
"Death, the Grim Reaper. End of all things. You know buying the farm, cashing in your chips, pegging out."
He rattled off.
I shook him off in annoyance.
"Thank you for the lesson in euphemisms but that doesn't answer my quest..."
I stopped, the realm was starting to collapse. Not this one. Raven's mind space. Shit.
"Later gator."
Chase waved as I was launched out of my inner world and into my body.
'Wait...this is not my body.'
And it wasn't any of the others either. I was looking down at them after all. At all of us in fact, me and Raven included. And I wasn't just... looking down on them too. I sensed them from all different directions. It was weird.
Chase said I could sense the death in things and with the realm collapsing from the Serpent's poison, it was obvious I had no choice but to believe his wild claims.
I was death, manifested in the conceptual end of Raven's Mind scape upon it's destruction. Let's try prevent that.
Maybe I could stop it. I willed for death to pause. Kind of. The poison from the serpent seemed to gather in a harmless pool of water, losing its threat value.
I wished for the damage done to the realm to rewind and it did. The realm stabilized and Chase's doomsday countdown ended. Still that was too close.
Being the death in each of my reluctant compatriots was off-putting. Reluctant because the shared suffering caused by Constantine linked us.
And as another awareness opened up, I found out I could see how many years they would live.
Surprisingly enough, Harley would make it to 97.
Catwoman was a solid 53, which given the risk of scaling up walls and jumping over rooftops was not too bad. I thought cats had nine lives though.
'They do. A blessing. But I come for all. Eventually...'
A female voice whispered, the statement reaching my nonexistent ears somehow. I tried to seek out the source but sensed nothing.
Karate Kid and Dawnstar would live well into their 70's.
Green Arrow was similar to Catwoman; the job he had was dangerous. He would die in battle at 57. Not too long away. In 15 years or so.
Wait...no. It was in 1 year!? His countdown had suddenly changed out nowhere.
'Time travel shenanigans.' I mused, not even the least bit amused.
Fuck. I looked at the ones I already knew their death dates and sighed in relief. There wasn't another unexplained change.
Still...what the fuck happens in a year?
Poison Ivy's 'health meter' almost made me whistle. If I could, I would have.
She would live to an age of 678. That was 6, almost 7 centuries.
Then again, maybe it had something to do with her powers? Yeah most likely.
Next up...
I stopped at Raven. The realm shook at my shock. Shock that turned into anger. Her death was timed at precisely 1 hour, 38 minutes and 43 seconds.
After all this...After all this and she dies!?
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuuuuuuck!"
"Use that information well. I like her."
The same female voice from before stated. And then in a flash, everything disappeared.
(Later)
I opened my eyes with a start.
"Raven!"
Her name was out of my mouth before I even knew what was happening.
I blinked, getting to my feet quickly. First of all, take stock.
I was barefoot. And also half naked. The only piece of clothing on me was a burnt pair of pants that ended at my shins. And the most important thing, I was missing my weapon. Dammit.
"Chase?"
I called but received no answer.
Next, I looked around, half in a bid to find my Zanpakuto and half to find out my location.
Where was I?
The surroundings were in a word, weird. Not in a bad way though.
The sky was a molten bright green color and the edge of the horizon had the aurora borealis dancing. It was oddly beautiful. And calming too...
Next, the ground was metallic and flat. Half of it shiny and the other an obsidian black. The obsidian seemed to suck in all the light from the sky. It spread out evenly across the furthest distance my eyes could reach.
I bent to my knees, to better see what I was dealing with. I run a palm over it. The material used was hard and oddly smooth. Mist seemed to dance inside it coming from...
Multiple skeletal faces flashed in its depths, bouncing off the obsidian before getting lost. They wore Shroud cloaks and had burning red eyes. The Obsidian seemed to fog over like glass due to their breath.
What the?
"How do you like the new addition to the realm?"
A smooth voice said from my front.
I got up, startled. My hand reached towards the hip but finding nothing there. I was still missing my Zanpakuto.
The voice belonged to a huge flaming Skeleton cat. A mouthful but apt description of whatever this thing was.
I raised an eyebrow and frowned when I recognized the wide smile on its face, showing a row of sharp teeth. Chase's slow chuckle only made me sigh.
"Really? You think I'd scare that easily?"
I asked the stupid cat, walking towards him. The bones grinded upon one another as my Zanpakuto Spirit turned to fully face me, a long and bony tail with a purple scythe.
"You should have seen the look on your face."
He said, a flaming green tongue rolling out and running across his teeth.
I stared at our surroundings. Going by his words, this was a new addition to the realm.
"It's...strange. different from the Cemetery or the pale sands of Hueco Mundo."
I finally answered his earlier question.
"And also...oddly familiar.
"Oh come on... don't tell me you haven't figured it out. It's so obvious."
Chase said, amused.
Up close I could tell he was super massive. And...
I finally remembered everything. I had achieved a new form upon devouring over tens of thousands of Shrouds. A form that had apparently made a new realm to sprout out within me.
"The sky represents the sheath." I said in realization. Continuing as my words felt true.
"The ground is Chesha Neko's bladed edge and the obsidian represents the power I had devoured from the Shrouds."
"Bongo!"
Chase stated.
"It's Bingo."
I told him absentmindedly looking around. This place...
But I shook my head, remembering there was something more immediate than exploring this new realm.
Saving the world.
So let's deal with that first.
"Well?"
My Zanpakuto prodded and I found myself sweeping my hands across my head, tying the loose hair into a messy bun behind me.
And then I breathed in...
The flames surrounding Chase begun to spin around the both of us, extending out into long licks of fire that then crawled up my limbs.
A new outfit formed from the flames and Chase, Chase laughed as his form shrunk before me. I held out a hand and pulled the floating double bladed Scythe in my hands.
And then...I opened my eyes in the real world. Exactly on the spot where the shroud I had left behind had been. My Reikaku's range expanded far.
It was big enough to sense that Trigon had already been summoned and busy.
The massive head and horns sticking out of the crater were particularly eye-catching as he destroyed his surroundings.
"He's not welcome here."
My voice sounded off. Layered and scratchy. Still, I was right. Trigon would pay for his crimes.
"WITH HIS LIFE!"
I snarled, a sudden flash of unreasonable anger sprouting within me. He had killed and used the immortal souls of the mortals to give himself a foothold here.
It was an insult. Only I got to decide whether a soul is reaped or not. NOT HIM! OR ANYONE ELSE!
The flames around my body extended to my head, burning away the skin, meat and hair to leave behind a flaming skull.
I twirled the new Chesha Neko, then wound my hand as far back as I could, before throwing the Scythe towards the sky.
The air caught on fire behind the Scythe's trail.
Dark wings sprouted from my back and with a single flap, I was off, following closely after my Zanpakuto.
It was time for the Grim Reaper to reap.
(General P.O.V)
"You're mad! And Suicidal!"
Trigon yelled, snapping as his anger got the better of him. This form was still too unstable; it wasn't even a percentage of his true power. He couldn't afford to lose this chance.
The shadows below him coalesced into a large dome of energy, that protected him from the explosion of the Meteor. It sickened him that he was hiding away instead of taking the full blunt of the attack and showing them all who he was.
Raven opened her eyes. They flashed with a bright light that was similar in color to the rest of her outfit.
Her white cloak danced in the harsh winds caused by the meteor as she levitated in front of everyone.
"Huddle closer."
She informed them before the white Raven construct emerged from within her chest.
Then with a cry, the white Raven covered everyone in a shield as the explosion finally reached them.
The blast made everything shake. The roof below them cracked and was washed away under the shockwaves then the blaze that followed.
The dome extended into a sphere that was left hanging over a scene of destruction that was even greater than before.
"Even for me, this is way too much."
Harley whistled, as they stared at what lay out there.
Coventry was nowhere to be found. Now it was just an even layer of blackened soil that extended out from the crater which was the epicenter.
Catwoman fell back, leaning on the walls of the shield before sliding down. She then removed her mask, showing them a defeated expression.
"There is no coming back from this, is there?"
She asked.
No one said anything. The mood was depressing.
Harley and Ivy moved towards her. The rest watched the three women hugged one another.
Gotham was their home. And it was gone.
And yet...the battle between the two entities raged on before them. Trigon had survived the worst of the meteor's explosion by shielding himself.
That shield was compromised when the Reaper slashed out, the pointy end stabbing into the shield and slicing through.
The shield failed to hold and broke apart, revealing Trigon who was in a sorry state. The trans-dimensional being roared, sending out beams of eye beams that the Reaper begun dodging, weaving in and out, through the air while pulling in closer to his opponent.
Trigon punched out towards him with his good hand, the other having had the wrist cut off.
The Grim Reaper's scythe swung out and the attack was blocked by the dull part of the blade.
The pressure blast produced, destroyed the walls of the crater around them.
"Damn you! This world is mine to conquer!"
Trigon yelled out, straining but failing to push the smaller figure back.
What was this POWER?!
Tendrils of dark energy lashed out extending from Trigon's shadow. However, the Reaper was quick and agile, darting around the demon's attacks, before slashing out and causing a huge swathe of green flames to contend with the shadow tendrils.
"You cannot escape death. You cannot escape me!"
The reaper announced as Trigon grit his teeth. Nothing was going according to plan.
The tendrils were instantly destroyed and the flames fell upon Trigon.
'Fine.' the Demonic entity thought as his back and shoulders were set on flame.
'I will resort to my last gambit.'
His gaze sharpened and his face was split into a serious expression.
Tendrils of energy had been extending towards the ley Line node blow him from the start. As stated earlier, dark powers raged in those depths.
And as evil incarnate, he could feed on those dark powers.
They wouldn't know what hit them.
(General P.O.V)
The ground around Constantine burst open, dozens of Golems lumbered forward, striking out with large swords at each of the Demons.
One of Trigon's sons tried to block the attack but the force behind the Golem's attack threw him away.
The rest of the Demons clawed forwards towards Constantine, snarling while trying but failing to get through the Golem's defense.
Constantine completed his spell, the cut on his forearm closing as the circle on the ground failed to channel the magic he had poured out into it. The summons had failed.
"What?!" Constantine shouted.
"When I need you the most you refuse to come!? That was a quarter of my vitality!"
He punched the ground in anger, the skin of his fist breaking and causing blood to flow out. This...was it for him. The end.
There was no way he could fight against a whole region of demons. Maybe if he were prepared...but he wasn't. He had used a lot of his occult materials to deal with the fall out of Gotham's destruction.
The clash of steel against stone sounded out. The metal skin of the stone golem chipped, a burst of yellow light bursting through.
"Fine you wankers. Come at me!"
The Magician yelled in ferocity, as he tightened his palm into a fist.
"Lapis bombae!"
The spell left Constantine's mouth just as one of Trigon's son jumped over the stone golem.
The golem exploded into small projectiles that pelted the surroundings.
One of Trigon's spawn let out a roar pointing his hands at their front, electing a red mystical shield.
The other two allowed the small rock pieces to hit their bodies without a concern for injuries. Their skins were durable enough to protect them.
Constantine slapped his hands together, letting loose a magical shockwave that rippled out in a wide burst of energy, striking the 2 demons point blank.
They were thrown away but in return he fell to his knees. He wasn't the type to ever have large reserves of power, there were of course rituals he could do but... Constantine shuddered at what he would become with all that power.
So he was a strategist. That spell was a repulsion wave that would throw anyone away regardless of power.
It struck the soul, and the soul gave the body form so ergo, the body would follow and be repulsed from the caster. However, it was highly intensive.
He had already lost an eye, not to mention, his left thigh was encased in a layer of ice to stop the spread of the necrosis spell he had been hit with.
However, the natural heat from the realm was doing its best to try and melt the ice. Magic or not, the concept of hot and cold was constant.
Lastly, he was missing a huge chunk of his vital force.
He couldn't hold on like this. For all of Constantine's ingenuity, you couldn't slip through a dimensional barrier designed to specifically target you. Otherwise, entities like Trigon would make Earth their vacation spot.
There was a reason they tried to use indirect methods to invade the mortal world. Most entities needed permission or an agent on the inside.
Constantine flipped a coin, and with a flash the face of Winston Churchill imprinted on the coin burned away, turning the coin gray just as a blue dome appeared around Constantine.
There was magic in meaning. The British invented the Tank, and the Tank was a symbol of defense. So the black electric burst of energy that left the third son's hands bounced off the dome.
Constantine gritted his teeth as the dome failed to hold up for too long. A battle of attrition was a bad idea.
The shield disappeared and he was left on his knees, a clawed hand wrapped around his neck.
"Be glad Magician. You die in the hands of Trigon's sons."
The demon said.
Constantine laughed, staring at the demon with a mocking expression.
"Don't kid yourself mate. See, I know what you poor fools are. Corrupted souls under glamour. You're the heroes of the worlds he has conquered. Enslaved to do his bidding. Prisoners. I would never be like you."
The magic in his eyes allowed him to see what lay beyond.
The demon shook with fury.
"So what? Serving him gives me purpose." The clawed hand around his neck tightened as the glamour washed off, to reveal a green skinned creature with large tentacles falling off its head.
Red veins covered his body from his black eyes down to his golden armor. They had 2 pairs of hands.
The corrupted alien smiled sinisterly.
"I gave into the darkness and it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. My world could not see the glory of Trigon, so I destroyed it. I would offer you the same privilege to serve him, however I already know what you're going to say."
The fingers around Constantine's neck tightened. His sight begun darkening around the corners.
'This is it...'
He had tried to summon the Specter...but he had failed. Which meant... anyone else wouldn't come.
His mind went back to Trigon's words. He stood alone, fighting a for he could not hope to defeat alone. Not when they knew of his reputation.
Maybe...maybe he had been too hasty to dismiss the lad. Maybe they could have worked together to stop this...
"Give him to me. I want to destroy him!"
One of the other three Sons said.
"No." The one who hand his hand wrapped around the Magician's neck refused.
"We kill him. We kill him now. He's too dangerous to take him prisoner."
Constantine chuckled amid the arguments.
"Please feel free to fight over me you bloody posers."
"Give him to me!"
The demon lumbered forward, energy building up within him.
Then red circles flashed under each of the 3 demons.
The surroundings had changed. All the demons, with the three Sons of Trigon's at the head had been teleported around Trigon.
"Quick fools! Distract him while I prepare!"
A deep and commanding voice called out in a panic.
The Son blinked owlishly as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. In fact, Constantine himself was struggling with the same.
"...master?"
Trigon was on his knees. He was missing his wrist, black blood dripping onto the ground in massive drops and causing pools of corruption around.
One of his horns was severed, he had terrible burns across the back of his head, neck and his shoulders.
Lastly, one of his eyes was blinded, a long dried trail of blood fell down his cheek.
Who would have caused their master to fall into such a deplorable state?
"Snap out of it fools!"
Trigon growled, his body flashing with a green glow. His red eyes changed to emerald orbs and Constantine's eyes widened as he felt all the magic in the area get sucked away.
"Attack! For Trigon!"
One of the Sons gave the command and the rest of Trigon's dark army, responded in a cacophony of shouts and yells.
The red skinned creatures rose up in a wave towards one particular spot in the sky.
"No..."
Constantine struggled to say, eyes manic wide as he reached out towards Trigon. He couldn't allow it.
If Trigon used the Lazarus pit to give himself a boost, then all would be lost. There was still a chance, he could make this right.
He had to stop it. His fingers lit up with the last of his magic reserves. One last spell. A fireball to the face was better than anything.
Then before the spell could leave his lips. Green lightning fell from the sky, frying hundreds of demons and shredding their skin and souls apart.
(Davian's P.O.V)
A meteor. Why did I even think that was a good idea?
No. I had had to do it. The best way to free the souls was complete and utter destruction of Trigon.
Wait, when did my priorities change? The plan had been to save Raven and in the process the world.
Looking at the destruction caused by my Meteor...I had destroyed what was left standing from Trigon's initial attack. I wasn't helping...
No. Sacrifices had to be made to ensure...
"Hold on... I'm trying something."
Chase informed me.
And I immediately realized I hadn't heard him ever since I started my fight with Trigon.
Instantly, it was like the haze around my thoughts disappeared.
"Chase what the fuck was that?"
I asked him, opening and closing my fist as I retained full control of my body.
I needed to jump back into the fight. This time with a plan. I don't think it would be good for anyone if I simply called down another meteor. Is that...can I even do that intentionally?
"The drawback to absorbing so many agents of death, was that you started prioritizing what they do."
My Zanpakuto answered.
"I blocked most of the influence but be careful, if you lose control you might do even more damage."
He added.
It was like I had been dreaming. Every action I had taken was done instinctually. All in a bid to destroy this thing before me.
I had been slashing out wildly, feeding strength into the Scythe to cut better. And it had been working.
My scythe could cut anything.
Case in point, Trigon's scorching hot eye beams. I had started out by avoiding them, wary to let even a single attack pass through.
But that hadn't lasted long. I gave in to the influence from the Shrouds. I had become reckless. They didn't need to avoid attacks because they could phase through them.
I had adopted the same mindset, deflecting what I could but mostly blocking the attacks with my body, trying to take advantage of the openings to fly past him, slashing out with the Scythe and inflicting mortal damage.
Despite all that... Trigon still stood. I was Death and I couldn't seem to kill him. He was evil incarnate.
That was the kind of immortality that was not dependent on having a surviving soul or body. You would never truly die as long as a certain concept existed.
It was a massive cheat.
And I made sure he paid for it.
Now that I was back on the driver's seat, I fell back on my training and small experience.
Slicing off his horn was as a result of getting better at fighting him. His large size was a big disadvantage. I could use that and cut him down. Maybe this time, I'll go for the head.
He swiped a hand out and the ground rose up in a wave of rocks and stones headed towards me. I brought my palm forward, a torrential spray of green flame washing out of it and burning everything away.
"Whoa...what is that?"
I directed at my Zanpakuto spirit.
The answer came in a split second.
Turns out the green flames were a mutated ability caused from the combination of hell flames and my Fullbring. Hell flames targeted a sinner's soul.
Although a Shrouds' job was to deliver souls to the afterlife, that did not mean they possessed no combat abilities.
Pair hell flames with my Fullbring powers and you got green flames that were harsh on dark beings and favorable to souls of the innocent.
It brought into question my own moral standing. I was gray. Maybe leaning on the side of bad more than good. So why did the flames work for me?
Regardless, they were effective in dealing damage to Trigon.
The flames washed away to reveal him down on his knees. His body smoked from the scorched skin. But in return, he had concluded the activation of a spell.
With a flash of power, an army of red skinned demon like creatures appeared around him, numbering in the thousands.
Trigon himself had this green shroud of energy cloaking his form.
"Be careful, he's feeding from the pit."
Chase warned.
The connection between Chase and I also seemed stronger. He could even extend his senses further than my Reikaku's range, which is why he was able to find out Trigon's plan.
Something about this form.
I think I'm going to call it the Spirit King form. It enhanced every single soul reaper ability I had in place. Speed, strength and durability.
"Hey chase."
I called out to my Zanpakuto spirit.
"What would happen if I used any of my Kido spells in this form?"
I asked, flexing my black wings and pulling away towards the sky as the red creatures rose up towards me.
My speed was crazy. And I hadn't even used Shunpo. What if I did? I was thinking small. If some abilities were enhanced, then maybe it was all of them?
"That's a good question. How about a practical demonstration?"
My Zanpakuto's statement made me smile. The action must have looked weird on a burning Cat's skull.
"Let's start light. Hado 4: Byakurai!"
I chanted, one arm pointed at the literal army flying fast towards me.
The buildup of energy, made the space around me shake. And then faster than I was expecting, green lightning bolts descended towards my enemies like judgement from Zeus himself.
The streaks met no resistance, they ripped through the advance group, jumping from one red skinned creature to the other, frying them till they turned to ash. A significant chunk of the horde disappeared.
I blinked.
That was not Byakurai.