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The Redeemers

Chapter 22: Demon's head

Cade had a list of people who had always given him the toughest fight. At the top would always be Sven, but others had included Captain America, Wolverine and now Ra's Al Ghul. Every bit as deadly as his reputation had implied, not even Cade's expertise with linked scythes gave him a guaranteed victory. Both men were putting their best effort into the fight, fighting with anger and hatred for one another but in a sick way enjoying the fight. There was a subtle smirk on both their lips as they slammed their blades together. Ra's swung his sword at Cade, only to meet the handle of his scythe. Cade parried the blade, then kicked Al Ghul's chest, sending him sliding across the floor. Quickly recovering, Ra's raised his swords and deflected the throw of Cade's scythe. Cade however pulled on the chain and followed up the strike, spinning the scythe at Ra's again. He pulled his neck back, narrowly avoiding the blade, then threw his right sword. But as soon Cade grabbed his second scythe he deflected the sword, imbedding it into the wall. Ra's immediately moved forward, drawing another sword and swiping at Cade's chest. They slid their blades together, parrying one another's strikes. Their knees slammed together, followed by their heads. Both knew how to use a head butt and both were driven enough not to be disorientated.

Ra's threw his foot into Cade's chest, knocking him back and throwing him against the side of the pit. Cade felt a subtle burning sensation at the back of his neck. The Lazarus pit was a magic that made him feel uneasy. But then he thought of the benefits, of how it could bring Sara back. Yet his mind always went back to Ra's, not just for the fight but over the pit itself. Either Ra's was an arrogant and genuinely evil man, or the pit had changed him in some way. It begged the kind of question Sven would have asked, did the pit drive Ra's made or was he insane to begin with? Cade knew that if he was to change and leave behind who he was, he would have to ask those questions too. He understood Ra's Al Ghul's motivations to a degree. The man came from a time when honour was scarce and important to defend, even more so when it came to family. Part of Cade wondered what series of events led to the downfall of whom Ra's had once been. The lovers he may have had, the family he may have once had, the history of injustices he had seen and had even been a part of. But then the part of Cade that was a warrior, and believed in justice took over. His eyes even let out that subtle glow as he shoved Ra's back.

Like with Ocean Master he thought, why should Ra's have a second chance? The man had helped Nazis, taken part in cullings, killed the innocent to get to those he deemed guilty. That and he had built a persona, portrayed himself as a god to bring fear to a populace and never hope. His brand of justice never left people feeling closure, only more hatred and more suffering. He turned children into soldiers just like Muramasa had done his first apprentice and that boy Virgil. Muramasa never believed in worship however, he taught his apprentices self reliance. Ra's Al Ghul wanted an heir, but only one who would abide by the laws he had set. He wanted his justice to live beyond his end, yet justice was like a living thing, what it meant for others changed with the times just like the law. Redemption however, that was something that remained with a constant meaning. The bad becoming good, making up for their past mistakes and those whom were good believing in hope and achieving their full potential regardless of the mistakes they made.

Cade slammed his elbow into his opponent's cheek. Ra's however turned and elbowed Cade in the shoulder before punching him the pommel of the sword. The bruise didn't worry Cade, only the follow up slash. He pulled his face back and blinked just in time. The sword cut his cheek, up along his eyelid and above his brow. It wasn't the first scar Cade ever had and it wouldn't be the last, it wouldn't stop him fighting either. He couldn't see out of the eye though, but he didn't have time to worry about whether it was just the blood or whether it had been damaged. His concern was finishing the fight, just finish the fight, not worry about everyone fighting above them, Sara, his body's limits or the motivations of his enemy. The fight became his focus, leading to a heightened state in which Cade reacted to every movement of his enemy's sword. He deflected a left strike with the right blade, deflected a right strike with his left blade. Then he locked the blades together and looked Ra's in the eye. There came a brief moment in which Cade saw a reflection of the pain he saw in the mirror every day. But then, he struck, wrapping the chains of his scythes around the man's wrists. Throwing Ra's over his shoulder, Cade launched him across the room, pinching the skin on Al Ghul's wrists. Cade pulled his scythes back to his hands and twirled them around. He moved his fingers, taunting the older man into an attack. Ra's Al Ghul smirked as grabbed his swords and rushed forward.

Talia kept her sword raised as the two women, agents of her beloved circled her. Hawkfire and Batwoman were both capable fighters, they were part of the Kane family after all. The Kanes were a military family, most came from Gotham. Batwoman in particular was the best, she would have been in the army but was kicked out, some would argue because she fought a superior officer, others would use her sexuality as an excuse. Kate was proud and strong, and her kicks were quick. Talia considered her the biggest threat, the younger Kane Bette however wasn't. She slammed her foot into Hawkfire's cheek, knocking her back. Then she swung her sword at Kathy, catching one of her gauntlets. Batwoman immediately countered with a right cross, hitting Talia across the face.

Hawkfire swung her Billy clubs at Talia, missing her face every time. Talia swept her legs around, tripping the girl up. Bette however swept her clubs through Talia's leg, throwing her to the ground. Batwoman swung her foot down, but Talia rolled the dodge the woman's heel. She readied her sword, only for Hawkfire to shove her back. Rolling to her feet, Talia swung her sword and narrowly missed Batwoman's neck. Kate threw two more punches, that Talia quickly parried. She then kicked Batwoman in the chest, knocking her into Hawkfire. Both agents fell into the battle that went on between the soldiers and the ninjas. Talia brandished her sword anew as she ran and jumped into the fray.

As soon as the two women had landed, they were assaulted by ninjas. Hawkfire struck two ninjas with her clubs and jumped and kicked another one across the face. Batwoman kneed one man and threw him across the floor, then used her grapple cable to pull one ninja after another into her foot. She grabbed a ninja's fist, twisting it behind his back. Then she pushed him, sending him running into Hawkfire's arm. The two cousins flew a flurry of batarangs, slicing apart the drones that flew down towards them. Talia then landed, slashing Hawkfire across her arm. Batwoman immediately ran at Talia, catching her blade between her gauntlets. She shattered the sword and then slammed her head into Talia's face. Talia quickly recovered, assuming a fighting stance as she spat out a blob of blood.

Cheshire grinned like her namesake as she continued running through the corridors of the fortress. Arsenal fired arrows behind her, never quite hitting his mark. She ran across the walls and jumped from one spot another. Throwing a flurry of daggers behind her, Cheshire lost her grin as her chaser slid underneath the projectiles. Roy immediately had another arrow knocked back, releasing it towards Cheshire's head. She ducked, and the blade of the arrow cut the strap of her mask. The mask fell to the floor, just as Arsenal moved towards Cheshire. He threw his bow, and Cheshire stepped to the right. Roy then tackled Cheshire and they crashed through one of the windows. They landed on one of the roofs. Cheshire immediately kicked the man away from her and drew her sais. Arsenal stood with his hands ready, moving them every time Cheshire twirled her blades. She stepped forward, thrusting both Sais. Roy grabbed the hilts of the daggers and pushed his knee towards Cheshire's chest.

Jade jumped back and then delivered a swift kick to Arsenal's head. He threw both sais into the roof and dived at Cheshire. She grabbed Arsenal's arm and hooked her legs around his neck. Roy however quickly jumped off of the roof, slamming Cheshire back first into the hard wood floor beneath. She still slapped Roy with her leg and then wrapped her legs around Roy's arm. He lifted her off of the floor, crashing through one of the doors and then slamming her against a wall. A suggestive smirk crossed Jade's face as Roy grabbed her arms and held them up high. She quickly spat in his eye and then head butted him, forcing him back. Arsenal stepped to the side, avoiding her punch and making her tumble over the door. Again Cheshire jumped at him, hooking her legs around his shoulders. She rolled back, taking her opponent down with her until his back was on the floor, his face inches from her crotch.

"This looks familiar," she whispered.

"What, me ending up on top?" Roy asked as he grabbed Cheshire's legs and slammed her onto her back.

Green Arrow knocked back his bow and let loose an arrow. Bane grabbed the projectile and snapped it in half. The action shocked Green Arrow, but Batman wasn't surprised. He ran towards Bane, delivering a few swift kicks that knocked the assassin back. Bane threw a punch that Batman dodged, the dark knight jumped and slammed his fist into Bane's face. It did little to harm the behemoth as he grabbed Batman by his throat. He lifted him off the floor, backhanding Green Arrow so hard to it knocked his hood off. Batman curled his leg around Bane's arm and pushed a taser into his arm. The masked man let out a yell before throwing Batman across the roof. He turned to the sheepish Green Arrow, and raised his arms to crush the man. A line suddenly wrapped around Bane's right arm and he looked towards the dark knight. Batman pulled on the line, bringing Bane off of the roof. Bane recovered in midair and pulled on the line, slamming his foot into Batman's chest and throwing him into the wall.

It was a blow that would have crushed him if he didn't wear armour. Batman analysed his opponent, whom had done the same for him. Bane was a strong man whose primary fighting style involved overwhelming an enemy with that strength, but he was a smart man too. He knew Batman's skill, his equipment and his drive. It was no surprise to Batman that Bane had once been hired by the mob to kill him, alongside eight other assassins on his first year in costume. Bane came close to breaking him that time, but he was young then, rash and full of anger. Batman knew he didn't have all the answers, but he was much smarter now. He understood that an enemy had to be analysed, that you had to admit your limits in facing that enemy and acknowledge the help and ally could provide. Green Arrow was overeager and didn't have the experience he had, but he was a skilled archer.

Bane had already determined however that Green Arrow had an advantage from a high place. He turned the dial on his wrist device and pumped more venom into his muscles. His body grew again, and his strength along with it. Bane then grabbed one of the nearby drones and threw it at Green Arrow. Arrow however ducked just in time and the drone crashed into the walkway above him. Green Arrow ran across the roof, firing at Bane as he threw one piece of debris after another at him. Batman came up behind Bane, delivering multiple punches with some effect. Bane turned, swing his arms in angry but well aimed punches. Just blocking them hurt Batman's arms, even with his armour. He kicked at Bane's knees, getting the assassin to tumble slightly. Bane however slammed his head into Batman's, dizzying him before grabbing him and throwing him towards Green Arrow.

"DAMN IT!" GA yelled.

Both vigilantes fell off of the roof, through the gaps between the walkways and nearly off of the mountain. Batman however fired his grapple gun and swung up to one of the platforms. They ran up the steps, coming face to face with Bane at the top.

"Do any of your arrows release an adhesive?" Batman asked, reaching into his utility belt.

"That might work," Green Arrow said.

Merlyn and the other ninjas of the league continued holding back the A. .S. forces. Despite the clear technological advantage, the soldiers were still facing heavy resistance. Arrows pierced through helmets, swords cleaved flesh and split apart the defences of the exo-suits. Steve ran out of cover, firing into the ninjas that had taken a defensive position at the dungeons. He threw a grenade, only for it to be cut in half by Saiko. The clawed assassin rushed towards the colonel. Rose suddenly slid in front of Saiko, blocking his claws with her swords. She delivered a quick kick to his face, but he countered with a kick into her gut. Rose flipped back, beheading two ninjas as she landed. Saiko ran forward, swinging his claws multiple times. Rose dodged them each time and blocked a few more. Steve took aim at Saiko, but quickly rolled to the sides as arrows stuck into the ground. Throwing his empty rifle aside, he pulled out his twin side arms.

"What took the government so long Trevor, we've already indoctrinated half of the slaves we took," Merlyn taunted the soldier.

"Didn't you use to have your own company?" Steve retorted.

The dark archer fired more arrows, ricocheted them off of walls and hitting soldiers behind cover. Grifter dodged one arrow that nestled where his head was. He jumped out of cover, shooting two assassins before taking aim at Merlyn. Again the archer fired an arrow, this time at the ground. Smoke covered the area Grifter and some of the other soldiers were standing in. A drone rolled over bodies and through the buildings, firing its minigun at Grifter and his allies. He diver towards a fountain, using it as cover.

"Blackhawks, we need an airstrike on a troublesome tank drone," Grifter said through the radio.

"Paint the target drifter," one of the pilots of the famed squadron said.

The black jets swooped downwards as Grifter trailed his targeting laser over the tank. They let loose a volley of missiles, destroying the drone and blowing up the region around it, burning several league assassins and overall decimating the feudal decorations. Grifter smiled underneath his mask, finding the sight of a burning peach tree more appealing. He blew two hover drones out of the sky and ran to Trevor's position.

"We're preparing to break through," Steve said.

Suddenly, an arrow landed between the two men. Grifter looked at the arrow, noticing the beeping red light on the head.

"GET BACK!" he yelled.

He dived at Steve, and both men were thrown back by the explosion. Rose looked towards her superiors, only slightly concerned by any injuries they might have attained. She deflected Saiko's claws and slashed him across the chest. Saiko yelled as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, hitting Rose's swords each time. His final strike shattered the blades and cut into her shoulders.

Cupid smiled as she fired one arrow after another. They moved in synch with Batgirl, who threw kicks and punches that Nyssa had to dodge. The daughter of Ra's Al Ghul was forced on the evasive by a near constant assault. Every time she tried to knock back an arrow, Batgirl was grabbing her arms and throwing her. She flipped over a table in a dining area, sliding open one of the doors and jumped onto a garden. Cupid was already on the rooftops, running to another vantage point. Nyssa knocked back and arrow and fired it just as Cupid came into her line of sight. But much to her shock, Cupid turned and dodged the arrow. Then Batgirl jumped towards her, her cloak flapping behind her like a pair of wings. Batgirl slammed her feet into Nyssa's chest, throwing her into a pond.

Nyssa looked up at the costumed hero and snarled. She drew her knife and jumped at Batgirl, slashing the bat symbol on her chest. Batgirl tilted her head back and turned every time Nyssa swung at her. She parried Nyssa's arms and tried to get a grip on her. But Nyssa continually kicked her, or slipped out of her grip. The contact between the two women gave Cupid pause as she held her arrow back. Nyssa tripped Batgirl and kicked her in the back. She then grabbed her cape and threw her through the wood of a pergola. The construct collapsed on top of Batgirl and Nyssa dived for her bow, dodging one arrow after another fired by Cupid. She deflected two more with shots of her own and fired directly at Cupid. Barely dodging the arrows, Cupid jumped and slid down the roof, landing on a balcony.

"I am the hand of the new spectre of vengeance, the dark knight, I walk the path of justice!"

Azrael's loyalty to Batman and his dedication to Justice could almost be described as fanatical. In some ways it was comparable to the loyalty all the hand ninjas showed Ra's Al Ghul. They ran towards Azrael, hoping to cut him down and aid their master. But unlike Ra's, Batman trained his agents to bring out the best in them. For Azrael, his dedication to justice forged a fury much like Batman's, a fury that applied well to a fighting style for facing multiple opponents. Their swords were also no match for his, as made abundantly clear when it came one fire. Though fearless, the ninjas couldn't defend against a sword that shattered theirs with every strike. Azrael aimed kicks and punches that knocked back his opponents whenever they got close. He slashed one opponent in the leg whilst elbowing another and rushed towards a man who tried preparing his gun. Easily cutting the weapon apart, Azrael twisted his arms around and smashed the pommel of his sword against his head.

The Hook watched the fight with fear in his eyes. He had been a simple mob hit man before, he joined the league to gain a purpose and increase his skill after the loss of his hand. Azrael however was much more frightening than Batman, his flaming sword and crusader armour made him look like a demonic version of a holy avenger. Every man the Hook sent in was either burnt or knocked aside by the hooded vigilante. Azrael deflected two swords and then pushed the wielders into one another before kicking one in the face. He grabbed the other man and threw him towards the Hook, knocking the man into the wall. The Hook widened his eyes as Azrael swung his sword, cutting apart his sunglasses. Finally able to see the hit man's eyes, Azrael did not see the fear the man showed before. There was a confidence there despite the situation.

"I still have some tricks up my sleeve, or more like in my pocket," the Hook smirked.

He suddenly removed a Billy club from his pocket. Electricity coated the weapon and the Hook brandished his namesake.

"I'll smash your face in and pull out your eyes!"

Earth 9117

The heroes of two worlds stood together, to face the one whom had enslaved one of those Earths. Virgil looked upon the assembled force and though he didn't smile, he felt confident of a victory. But then everything began to shift in favour of the new Doctor Fate, Damian Wayne. As well as his costume being altered, Damian began to give himself one advantage after another. He fired a blast into orbit, shocking Sinestro and Arin when the blast pierced through Abin's chest.

"Yellow Lantern of Sector 2814 deceased, scanning galaxy for replacement," the ring's AI said.

The ring immediately dashed back down to Earth, flying around the heroes and over Damian's index finger. Everyone present widened their eyes in shock as the yellow Lantern corps symbol appeared over a bat symbol on his chest, his Fate cloak shaped into a version of his father's and yellow blade slid out of his gauntlets.

"Abin Sur's ring but that would mean..." Red Adam widened his eyes as Damian grabbed him by his neck.

"The power of the gods doesn't deserve to be in your hands, SHAZAM!" Damian yelled.

A lightning bolt flew from the sky, knocking Sinestro and Arin apart. It slammed into Damian and Red Adam. Red Adam's costume was replaced by casual, nondescript clothing and his body began to shrink. His hair greyed and his skin paled and developed wrinkles. Electricity sparked across Damian's body, his black suit had taken on a crimson hue and bolt symbol appeared on his helmet, which took on a crimson colour whilst white highlights ran across the edges of his cloak.

"The power of gods, the avatar of fear, the magic of order, this is the power I was always meant to have. Over a world I was supposed to guide and turn into something beautiful," Damian explained as his eyes drifted towards Virgil. "But you...YOU TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" he roared with a childlike fury.

"This battle is beyond Doom," the sorcerer supreme said as he disappeared.

"Fine Doom, I don't need you, I don't need anyone we'll burn on this world together but first I'LL KILL YOU!" Damian yelled.

He suddenly flew towards Virgil, punching aside Orion and Barda. Kid Flash grabbed Virgil and ran out of the way, leaving Damian to slam into the ground so hard that the ice cracked. Sinestro and Arin created platforms for their allies, and in waves they attacked the lord of chaos. Batman fired his blaster, hitting his son in the back with little effect.

"You're just a man father, you were always just a man, but me? I was groomed from birth to be the perfect warrior, to lead humanity," Damian said.

"We get it, your life was so hard," Gwen huffed as she fired a web line across Damian's helmet.

"Fool, you're barely worth my attention," Damian brandished a yellow sword.

"I still distract you!"

Punisher Hulk suddenly punched Damian in the back, sending him flying across the Antarctic. Barda created another boom tube, allowing the heroes of both Earths to pursue their target. They came out of the portal just as Damian fired a blast of energy. Sinestro shielded them from the blast, sweat gleaming down his face from the sheer force his best friend's murderer wielded. Atomic-Storm released a blast of nuclear fire on Damian, who immediately put up a shield. Orion fired the batteries on his flight platform, and Captain Thunder fired his electric gun. Blue Beetle linked his hands together, shaping his gauntlets into a sonic cannon that added to the assault on Damian's barrier. Supergirl fired her heat vision and Starwoman fired a blast from her staff. Freeze fired his gun and Sunfire's body lit up as she released a full power blast. The beams pushed Damian back and began to slowly crack his barrier. Underneath the helmet of Fate, Damian grit his teeth together. A glowing yellow Egyptian cross appeared behind him, illuminating his body with the energy of order and the yellow lantern's power.

"All of you BURN!" he yelled.

The cross shined and deflected all of the beam attacks. Damian yelled, bringing bolt of lightning down after another, striking each hero like a marksman would take out targets. He flew towards Supergirl, punching her in the face and then kneeing her in the gut. Holding her by her hair, Damian threw Supergirl into Starwoman. He rushed behind Orion, tearing his flight platform apart and punching him towards the ground.

"Where is he?" he asked.

Whiplash wrapped his whips around Damian's heels, pulling him towards Titanium Man's fists. Damian blocked the punch with a shield construct and slashed it across Titanium Man's face, revealing the man underneath the armour.

"Where is he?" Damian asked again.

He threw both Russian heroes back and created a sword construct as Widow rushed towards him. She swung her soul blades at him, only to have them parried with every strike. Damian grabbed Widow's hands and forced her to her knees.

"Where is the man who interfered with my plans, who destroyed my Earth?"

Throwing Illyana into the air, Damian rushed towards Green Sasquatch, striking him repeatedly in the chest before delivering a hard punch to his jaw. He hovered above the ice and rushed Punisher, striking him multiple times in his face, spine and knees before flipping and kicking his jaw shut. Damian created an armoured bat suit from his ring and delivered a punch to Hulk's face, sending him crashing into Green Sasquatch. The armour disappeared as Damian looked at his battered opponents.

"Where is your great leader? The man who assembled you from across the multi-verse, took your from your homes, interfered with the world's fate? TELL ME WHERE THE MAN WHO DESTROYED MY WORLD IS?" Damian yelled as he slammed his foot into Supergirl's chest.

"Take a look in the mirror," Supergirl, her eyes defiant as she pushed Damian's foot.

Damian raised his hand, ready to blast the Kryptonian until nothing was left. Suddenly, a wave of water slammed into his back, pushing him into the ice. Mareena landed by Supergirl's side, helping her off of the floor.

"He may command the power of fear and the gods, but my father commands the ocean," she said.

"Do you think people on this Earth make fun of Aquaman as much as they do on ours?" Kara asked.

"Not with that beard, and those tattoos, he looks more like Conan than my dad," Mareena said.

The two girls giggling was cut off as the ice broke apart. Dr Fate dropped Aquaman on the floor and raised the man's trident.

"Was that supposed to stop me?" he asked before flying down towards the team.

Virgil, Batman, Iron Patriot and the scientific minds that they had secured walked through the corridors of the fortress. Gwen, Patrick, Zero and Kamala remained at the main gate, waiting for any sign of the fight being over. They could see the blasts and sonic booms from a distance. Kid Flash ran past the four of them and stopped near Virgil.

"They aren't doing well, even the few hits I go in aren't helping, Damian is really angry, which makes sense since he's Bruce's son," Wally said.

"Firstly he's not my son, secondly secret identity," Wally cringed under a constant presence in the Multiverse, the bat-gare.

"It's okay, we knew who Batman was already, he and my father are actually recognised as the last great heroes of our world," Moira said.

"Why exactly did we come here?" Wally asked, quickly changing the subject.

"We're looking for the Paradise projector, this world's Phantom zone projector, but unlike in yours and Batman's world it's not a prison dimension, in fact it's what is responsible for Krypton surviving an encounter with Brainiac," Virgil explained.

"Wait, Krypton survived?"

"It did indeed!"

The group looked up as Kal-El floated towards them.

"You three are not of this world, yet you fight to protect it," he said.

"It's what we do, wherever we go we strive to do the right thing," Virgil said.

"My father did too, he was Krypton's greatest scientific mind, alongside a General called Zod he believed our red sun would age and eventually reach its limit and that the current council's rule of not expanding the empire would be their undoing. So they composed a means to move the planet, by transporting it into a new dimension, a new universe they came to call the Paradise zone," Kal-El explained.

"A universe with a sun that doesn't age and a regular time table of rain and clear skies on any planet that occupies it," Virgil said.

"Sounds perfect, why didn't you just use it on this planet?" Wally asked.

"Because by the time he found it this world was at war with itself," Iron Patriot said.

"Yes, my people forge a new and peaceful existence in the paradise zone, I wasn't going to put a world into the zone that hadn't yet turned its back on violence. My people were forced to use the projector early when Brainiac came to harvest the planet, but my father wasn't willing to leave other worlds to the mercy of a universe with limits."

"The universe has no limit, so long as people develop forms of travel like teleportation or space travel, then they can continue to expand and reach beyond other worlds. Humanity was always capable of surviving beyond their world's life, on that Earth heading towards ours Richards had developed a life raft of sorts, something to save as many as he could. Except it only saves a few people, I want to save everyone on that Earth. An Earth that knows peace, an Earth where all of the heroes and villains have gone to this Earth," Virgil explained.

Kal-El widened his eyes slightly, realising what the boy's plan was.

"You intend to send that other Earth into the paradise dimension," he said.

"Yes, I believe it's the best course of action to save both Earths without having to sacrifice anyone," Virgil said.

"This isn't a simple matter of putting that Earth back afterwards, that Earth will never be returned to its rightful place," Kal-El said.

"I know that, I'll be changing the destiny of a universe forever, but let's face it, sometimes threats to the universe come from Earth or for it, Earth isn't the only place with heroes and there will always be guardians of the galaxy!"

Patrick and Gwen popped their heads around the corner.

"Did you reference them deliberately, or was it an accident?" Patrick asked.

Virgil shot a glare of his own at his team mates and looked towards Kal-El.

"Will you let us use the projector?" he asked.

Kal-El remained silent as he turned and flew into another part of the fortress. Seconds later he emerged holding a white box like device.

"This is the means to send an entire planet to space, my father attached it to my shuttle when he sent me away. It has to be used outside of the planet's orbit, I will be willing to take it but are you sure this is your only plan. What about the natives of that Earth stuck here?"

"I'll have to answer that for every one of my team mates sir," Iron Patriot said. "If it saves every single person on our Earth, we'll gladly sacrifice the chance to go back there. Do what you need to do son!"

Suddenly, the Egyptian cross appeared and Damian emerged, levitating the unconscious forms of the army he had defeated. He narrowed his eyes at Superman, who briefly let go of the projector. Damian was suddenly on Superman, grabbing his neck and punching him across the face.

"Hermes is faster than a speeding bullet," he said before punching Superman again.

Kid Flash ran for the projector, dodging Damian's attempts to punch him. He grabbed Damian's arm and spun him around, throwing him through the roof.

"You'd better know what you're doing Virgil," Wally said, throwing the projector into Virgil's hands.

"The controls look pretty basic, we just have to account for the planet's size, the speed of its rotation and vibration frequency."

Lex and the other scientists nodded their heads as they gathered around Virgil, adding their calculations to the machine. Damian burst through the roof, preparing a gigantic bat construct to eat his enemies. Superman suddenly came up behind him and grabbed the helmet of fate. Magical energy immediately surged through him, causing him an agony he had never felt in his life, and never would feel again. But with determination in his eyes, the son of Jor-El, saviour of Krypton, deemed that he would be the one to save Earth from the madman who had enslaved it. He tore the helmet of fate apart, his hands horribly burned by the effort. In turn, the power of Shazam disappeared as well. Damian looked down at Virgil and glared.

"A man who believes in no compromise, no wonder you and my father get along so well, fool...it will be my Earth that ascends to this paradise dimension, then I will rule both Earth and Krypton," Damian declared as he aimed his ring at Virgil.

He created several swords and lances, aiming them not just at Virgil but all of the survivors. Virgil gave the projector to Moira and ran forward.

"What's he doing?" Lex asked.

"There's nothing on his suit he can use to stop that," Kid Flash said.

"He couldn't possible still...no, everyone said he wasn't," Patrick muttered.

"What are you talking about Scarlet Spider?" Gwen asked.

"Virgil was a mutant, but he lost his powers after M-Day, when he got them back he casted them aside, his genetic status is flat scan human, he doesn't have any special abilities," Patrick explained.

"You sure about that?" Batman asked.

Patrick looked at Virgil with uncertainty, before Damian released the storm of weapons.

Next Chapter 23: Demon's fall

Okay, I know I said last chapter that this would be the finale of the arc, but the fights came out longer than I thought they'd be, so next time it will be the finale of the story, as well as he endings of the fights.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter