Chapter 37: Emancipation 7

The last days, our death throes, the ultimate inferno

No hope for survival, this Doomsday is our final sight

Dark and grim, your fate will begin

In the fire and the pain, God will end on this Doomsday

********

Fate is a fickle fiend.

Those able to peer into its weave, few that they are, are well aware that it is not set in stone. It is not that prophecy detects the most likely outcome and then reveals it. 

Instead, the utterance of a prophecy makes the results spoken the most likely outcome. People react to the 'knowledge' of the future either to attain or avoid it, making the result nearly inevitable. All predictions, no matter their origin or intent, are self-fulfilling in some small manner.

Mikael had existed in the dimension for millions of years, yet predictions continued to be fulfilled as prophets, clairvoyants, and the divine predicted. 

Then the Blinding happened.

If fate was a tapestry woven from countless possible threads, then the Blinding was someone ripping enormous holes in the fabric.

Most blamed the Elden Lord's presence for the Blinding, which was correct, but they missed the root cause. It was his defences, not his presence, that caused the issue.

Defences that only came online when he reached his 'peak.'

Those who peered at the weave as a whole, who saw the many images of fate writ large, knew all Sight had failed with the Blinding. There would never be another valid prophecy. 

Those threads which did not intersect with the Elden Lord or his Consorts, those who resided on the other side of the universe or in isolated communities, were touched by the ripples through which all things are connected.

Predictive modelling did not peer at the weave of fate. 

It made predictions based on gathered data and projections. This made machines and beings who followed this process uniquely resilient against the ripples in the weave as they accepted it as more data.

It also made them blind to the holes as they could not account for unknown variables.

The Defences blinded all predictions for those it protected but did not protect the after-effects of their actions.

The Clairvoyant could not predict anyone in the Family, but it could categorize even the likes of Galactus and Pheonix. It judged, even after everything the Family had set in motion, that Superman would still die. That other heroes would die in the conflict, as well.

All that changed was the final outcome.

When Batman told Clark he would win at the cost of his life, he was unaware that the future had already changed by the actions of The Family.

If he had asked the Clairvoyant on the morning of the 25th of October if they would win, it would have responded that victory was utterly impossible.

But he couldn't.

And so the heroes that gathered to fight that day were unaware they were fighting till their inevitable doom.

****

Goldstar coughed another glob of blood into his fist as he tried to rise.

His missing leg and the bloody stump of its previous location, still spurting blood, stopped all attempts to escape.

The PRT hero was forced to sit there and watch, eyes blurring and feeling dizzy, as the mutant smashed Limelight through an apartment building. His shields cracked as he screamed, lime green outfit torn.

Limelight had a healing factor, a rather potent one, in fact, but the mutant did not give his fellow hero time to recover.

The thing's one good hand smashed the foundations of the building to smithereens, and the rest came crashing down on the hero, civilians and all.

Goldstar felt nauseous.

It could have been the blood loss.

It was more than likely because he just saw hundreds of people, men, women, and children fall to death in the rubble that crushed his friend.

This was the third building to collapse, not counting the major bridge that the thing had destroyed, which had alerted the Cleveland PRT to the terrorist act.

They had set out as quickly as possible, lucky that the whole team had been present thanks to some higher-up putting the team on alert for possible deployment. Goldstar, Limelight, Electro the robot, Ice, and Fyre had arrived at the collapsed bridge to find a Super tearing his way through those who had survived the collapse.

It was wrapped in green and covered by metal cables that wrapped it like some sort of futuristic straightjacket. It was bound so tightly that its right arm was held behind its back. 

It wasn't even in the top 10 weird costumes Goldstar had seen.

Half the team had engaged the villain when he didn't respond to them, and the other half had set about trying to rescue the civilians.

The thing had torn through them.

Ice had been shattered into bloody pieces within the first thirty seconds.

Fyre had held on longer, staying farther away and blasting the thing with her flames. But nothing seemed to damage it as it ignored the fire to charge at her with speed none of them could follow.

She died in the first building collapse, pummeled to paste under its fists, the shockwave tumbling the building into a crater.

Electro had tried to lead the thing away from the city center, taking potshots at it and staying out of reach. The thing had jumped high enough to catch the robot in its unbound arm and crush the metal to pieces.

Only Goldstar's various tinker tech inventions, his flight ring and forcefield belt, and Limelight's sheer durability, had allowed them to last as long as they did.

It was all fruitless.

The Cleveland Protectorate, small as it was, had been decimated in five minutes.

Now Michael Jon Carter lay dying after watching his friend be brutally murdered. Cleveland remained undefended until the SOS was answered.

They had failed.

Darkness crept around Goldstar's vision.

Too weak, he could not see the Flash of red and blue that interrupted the mutant's rampage.

The last thought of the hero, Goldstar was of the end. 

Of Doomsday.

****

Superman tackled the green-clad man and carried him skyward.

He had only a moment to take in the situation, but it had filled him with profound pain and sorrow. The collapsed buildings, the wails and screams of the innocent, and the bloody remains of the heroes all lit a fire in his chest.

But Superman couldn't lash out.

As much as he wanted to, as much as he desired to pummel the man who had destroyed so many lives and throw him into jail, he had to follow the proper procedure. Give the man a chance to surrender to the law.

If heroes did not follow the law, then nobody would.

Priority number one was to remove the threat to civilians.

So when Clark grabbed the green-clad behemoth, he intended to fly him out of the city and into the state's less populated areas. Thanks to his speed, they left the city in a flash.

Less than three seconds after taking flight, the air was driven from his lungs as a mighty fist slammed into his back, forcing him from the sky.

They crashed into the ground in a cavalcade of grass, dirt, rock and asphalt. Tearing a long groove into the earth, the pair rested in a mall's parking lot.

Neither was hurt, though both were dirty.

Superman disentangled himself from the man, taking flight and hovering in the air as he tried to regain his bearings. The green-clad man stared up at the Kryptonian, his feature obscured by the green costume and metal cables. Clark could see patches of grey skin peaking out here and there. 

Either a mutant or an alien, then.

Superman had succeeded in getting the man away from the city center, which was a plus, but this area was still too populated for his taste.

"Who are you?" He called out. "Why are you doing this?"

The man didn't answer. 

Instead, it jumped at him.

The ground cratered under the thing's feet as it threw itself skyward at the Kryptonian. Its speed and force were fast enough that Clark could not dodge out of the way. In a reversal of earlier, the green-clad man tackled Superman out of the air.

As they hit the ground, Clark could roll away thanks to the opponent only having one arm. He rose to his feet and punched the man in the chest.

If he wasn't willing to talk now, he might talk in the ER.

The impact of Superman's fist on the man's chest tore the green cloth from his chest, revealing more craggy grey skin underneath.

The mutant did not even flinch.

Clark didn't have time to be surprised as the thing's one good arm lashed out and back-handed him through the mall.

While Superman had controlled his strength to a degree to not kill the man, that punch would have laid out most Brute 6s. The blow he received in return had been at least ten times that level.

Clark set his mouth into a frown even as he stood from the rubble, thanking his lucky stars that it was near closing time. 

Still, this area was too populated.

"Superman requesting backup and evacuation west of New Philidelphia, Ohio," he said into his earpiece on an open channel, hoping any local heroes would be nearby. "We have a Brute, at least 9. Green costume. One arm tied behind his back. Civilian removal is a priority. Send help."

That was all Clark had time for as his hearing picked up the screams of the locals.

Rather than chase after the Kryptonian, the mutant turned away from the lowering sun and headed eastward, destroying everything in his path.

Superman flew fast enough that he was able to grab a family about to be crushed by their collapsing house, but by then, the man had moved on to another structure.

Whoever this was, they were more intent on causing death and destruction than anything else.

His priority being saving lives above all else, Superman felt stifled. 

With a massive chunk of heroes on the other side of the world, ready to face off against the Elden Lord, only some could arrive to help on time.

Nevertheless, Superman would do what it took to save lives and defeat the villain before it reached the major cities along the east coast.

That is what a hero did, after all.

****

When Superman sent out his request for aid, people were listening.

Batman was the obvious one, of course, as he monitored a whole network as he tried to coordinate dozens of heroes in preparation for the coming battle.

He didn't have any footage of Superman's current location, but he was able to review Goldstar's headpiece footage.

Bruce Wayne was left with a choice. 

He either sent aid or continued to focus on the upcoming confrontation with the Elden Lord and trusted Clark to handle it with local hero support.

In the end, though he is paranoid and concerned with the Dragon on their doorstep, Batman is also intelligent and decisive. He also knew his friend well enough that if Superman wanted help, he needed it.

Less than a minute after receiving the SOS, Batman alerted what heroes he could to head to Superman's location.

For a second, he hesitated but then got on the coms to call three particular women to their aid.

They could confront the Elden Lord later.

****

Batman wasn't the only one listening to the open hero channel.

Police, PRT personnel, Medical and fire stations, and news outlets all heard Superman's call for help. While Cleaveland was still scrambling its own emergency services for their part of the disaster, other places sent their teams to provide what aid they could.

Local fire stations, police offices, and hospitals were well used to the dangers of living in a world of heroes and villains. While engaging the villains was left to the PRT and any heroes or vigilantes, these regular humans did their part to minimize the civilian impact in any way possible.

News crews, those nearby or with helicopters, dispatched their reporters to cover the incident.

The Protectorate had a few heroes in nearby cities, ready for a coming clash with the Elden Lord. They dispatched what they could afford without leaving their cities undefended.

Slowly but surely, the world was starting to focus on the clash of heroes and the unknown villain.

****

"When do you want to spring this?" Glynda asked me under her voice.

"Once Robin finds Flash," I answered at a normal volume. "He is the biggest threat, and if things go south, I want him neutralized first."

We didn't really need to whisper, enclosed in a bubble of silence from a spell I had cast. A modification of the Hush spell from Dark Souls and the Unseen Form spell from Elden Ring had us in a dome that made us invisible and silent.

It wouldn't protect us from heat vision or other more esoteric searching abilities, but they weren't really looking for us.

They thought they knew where we were all ready.

"How's the food?" I asked Ranni.

"I cannot taste through my dolls," she answered haughtily. "Though it looks like the French Toast is mush and the omelet is slightly overdone. A subpar showing."

"We'll find somewhere else to eat after all this," I appeased her. I didn't want to get addicted to our cooking, so I was trying to find other places we could enjoy on this vacation.

You know, so long as we didn't sink Australia if we ended up fighting the Heroes.

Inside the dinner, four of Ranni's dolls were illusioned to look like our group. They were the bait in the trap.

I was hopeful that it wouldn't come to a fight, for Diana's sake if nothing else, but I also wanted to be negotiating from a position of strength.

Heroes are nosy creatures. They wanted to be assured that my group and I would not try and destroy the world or something equally stupid.

On the other hand, we wanted to not be hounded every time we stepped outside. Since we were not planning anything dastardly, it looked like we had room to talk.

However, I had no desire to suborn myself or The Family to anyone. Be they heroes or villains, countries or organizations, they would all want a piece of us. 

We were too strong or valuable for them not to want to control or destroy us.

The fundamental goal here was to show ourselves to be a considerable threat that they couldn't engage us without paying a huge cost. At the same time, we couldn't scare them too hard, or they would go all out, cost be damned.

We had to be a neutral threat, not an active one.

So I had set a trap.

They didn't know that I knew how most of them operated. While my knowledge of comics and Worm shouldn't be followed blindly, I still had ways of verifying that knowledge.

And Bruce Wayne was still Batman, so I could count on old Batsy to do the most paranoid thing possible.

It didn't matter if he was more intelligent than me if I held more knowledge than him. At least for now.

I was going to outsmart his outsmarting.

"I have him," Robin told us through a pair of lips on the floor. "Three blocks to the east, in the alleyway to the left of the jewelry store. He is eating a box of donuts."

"Thanks," I said as the four of us moved in that direction. I kept us silent and invisible, though it was mostly for me. Both Ranni and Glynda could fly, from their spells and semblance, respectively, and Melina moved with the silent grace of a Black Knife Assassin. To say nothing of Tsunade. My wings were part magic, but if I wanted to fly, they still displaced air, so I didn't open them. "How many signatures?"

"I've found thirty-six within 50 kilometres, which are above civilian level. More are arriving every minute," Yoruichi spoke into my ear. She was in her cat form to hide better.

"Four more are powerless but have machines," the shadow clone of Tsunade chimed in.

If all went to plan, the heroes would never know that anyone but the four of us was here. Almost everyone was present, though hidden away, in case things went south.

Priscila was watching the pets on the Island since she was the least combative of The Family.

And we didn't want to kill people, at least not yet.

I had set Artoria off on a different mission with Diana, but if worst came to worst, I could have Raven bring them to us in a few minutes.

We arrived above the jewelry store, Didgeridiamond, and looked down to see Barry Allen, dressed as the Flash, polish off his last donut and start digging into a box of Tim Tams.

I knew speedsters had an extremely high metabolism, but seeing him pack so much food away so quickly was still impressive. He ate almost as much as Artoria.

Almost.

"The bounded field is set," Medea sent her voice to me by a spell. We kept telepathic communication to a low point, aware that some heroes could intercept or at least sense it, and we didn't want to blow Emma's cover. Her words indicated that the final piece was in place. "Should I activate it?"

With that news, the stage was set. 

I had learned my lesson about how 'low' tech could still work on us, even with the Defences. Over the last few days, I had worked with Medea to devise a Bounded Field specifically designed to stop all electronic equipment from sending signals out of an area.

Thanks to Magic Talent and Medea's vast knowledge of spells, we had created it on the first day and spent the rest of the time turning it into a spell we could deploy in less than a minute of preparation.

"Let's not tip our hand just yet. That could spook them," I answered. "Any sign of the boy scout?"

"No," Yoruichi answered.

"Negative," Tsunade said.

"I have eyes on Supergirl, but I cannot see her cousin," Robin explained.

The 'shounen ninja trio,' as I called them in my head, were incredibly useful for tasks like this.

I had expected Superman to be here, as the 'face' of the justice league and the most recognizable hero. His weakness to magic meant that we didn't need to fear him as much as some other heroes, but he was still a force to be acknowledged.

I was left to wait for him or spring the trap early. There were benefits to both.

"My Lord?" Melina asked. "Your orders?" The rest of the group present looked at me.

"Hmm," I thought for a moment before making a decision. "Let's go."

****

"Hello there," the man said gently as he appeared from nowhere. 

Barry sped himself up on instinct, giving him a moment to calm his surprise so he would drop his snack. It also gave him a moment to take stock of the situation.

The Elden Lord stood at the entrance to the alley. The three women supposed to be with him in the restaurant were arrayed behind him. Barry had never met any of them, but he had studied their files extensively.

Except for the one-eyed brunette.

She was new.

Ranni was a Goddess. One who had faced a conjunction of the Justice League and some top heroes by herself came out on top.

Glynda was an accomplished telekinetic, possibly the greatest in the world, if their speculation of her ability to manipulate things on the atomic level was correct. That was the only way she would have been able to repair all that damage unless she was a time manipulator.

The Elden Lord was a dragon the size of a continent, a world conquerer whose presence could drive people mad.

It would take a little bit for the other heroes to notice the change in the situation, and until then, the Flash was outnumbered.

Barry was sure he had been in worse situations before but had trouble thinking them up.

Thankfully, they didn't seem hostile.

"Hello," he answered politely as his perception returned to normal. Batman would notice and alert the other heroes if he kept them talking. "What can I help you with?"

"Do you mind if I try one of those?" The Elden Lord pointed to the almost empty box of Tim Tams in Barry's hand. "I've never had them before, and I am a bit hungry since our breakfast was interrupted."

Barry wordlessly passed the box of chocolate sweets to the man, who took one and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmmm," he hummed as he ate before swallowing. "I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but these are pretty good. You girls want one?" He asked the women behind him. They remained silent, eyes focused on Barry. "Suit yourselves. Anyway, where are my manners? I am Mikael, these are Glynda, Ranni, and Melina."

"I'm the Flash," Barry said politely. Usually, this would be when he would start mouthing off, but Superman had been clear that antagonizing the group was to be avoided unless given no other option.

Say what you will about Barry Allen, but he was a hero and had no desire to start a fight in a populated area if he could avoid it.

That and every second that ticked by increased his chance of backup arriving.

"I've heard of you," Mikael said with a smile. "Central City, right? In the US? Makes me wonder what you are doing down here and interrupting my vacation. And with so many friends."

A cold sweat rolled down Barry's back. 

They had hoped that, since Yoruichi and Robin hadn't been present with the group, they would not be able to sense the heroes gathering. There had been some concern that the one-eyed woman, Melina, was the unknown psychic, so they had maintained their distance from the group and had the White Queen and Wiccan keep an eye on them. 

They had reported no psychic activity.

"Sorry for that," Barry said with a tense smile. "Didn't mean to disturb you and all, just wanted to talk."

"Well," Mikael said, leaning against the entrance to the alley. "I'm right here. Talk."

Superman was supposed to be the one to initiate this conversation, but Barry decided that beggars couldn't be choosers. That and Batman hadn't said anything.

"I just wanted to ask some questions, if you don't mind."

"Ask away."

"First off, any plans for world domination? I hear it's all the rage lately, and I wanted to know if you were getting on that bandwagon. I hear you have some experience with it," Barry asked quickly with a tense smile.

"You don't say?" Mikael asked rhetorically. "I can honestly say the only time I like to dominate is in the bedroom. Everything else is too much of a hassle, ya get me?"

"I understand," Barry nodded quickly, happy that he wasn't flying off the handle and a bit surprised about his openness. A quirk of his home culture? "Though I've also heard you've conquered worlds before. What changed?"

"We might be thinking of different things here," Mikael tossed a look to Ranni, who puffed up her cheeks. It was such a human action and so unexpected that Barry stared at the blue woman in surprise. "I understand my wife unintentionally gave me a bad wrap. You'll have to forgive her for it. She comes from a culture where bragging about one's achievements is the norm. I thoroughly... chastised her for it."

"Lord Husband," the goddess said with a whine, her face a deep purple.

While his words concerned Barry, he didn't like wife beaters at all, the flushed face of the goddess, and her smile, told him that it wasn't the case here. It probably had more to do with 'dominating in the bedroom' than actual violence.

"Anyway," Mikael continued. "I should clear up the misunderstanding. 

When Ranni said I conquered worlds, she meant it in a more metaphorical sense than ruling them. Her world was in a civil war, and I helped settle it and restore peace. Another was cursed with an undead plague, and I stopped it. I have no desire to conquer anything. I have never 'ruled,' nor do I desire to. I am just here on vacation. A pit stop on the road of life."

Barry didn't know if he could trust those words, but the fact that the Elden Lord was talking was a good sign.

"So, no intentions for the earth? No destroying it or enslaving humanity?"

"Why would I do that?" Mikeal asked rhetorically. "I like the earth. You have the internet. And pizza." That was a good argument if the Flash ever heard one. "I am very big on freedom, so slavery is a no-go. Think of me as an intergalactic tourist. I'm here for the sights and food, and to immerse myself in the culture."

"Who are you planning on meeting?" Barry asked. If they could find whoever it was that had drawn the Elden Lord to earth, then they could see about helping him finish his business and sending him on his way.

"A bit above your paygrade," Mikael denied answering with a charming smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad, and I'll be out of your hair soon enough. She's just a bit fickle at the moment. Maybe in a year or two. Got a lot to-"

The Elden Lord cut himself off, turning his vision skyward, and his consorts followed his line of sight. Hidden by the building, Barry couldn't see what had attracted his attention, but he hoped it was Superman.

He was close.

Supergirl flew down from on high, landing on the other side of the group from the Flash. She eyed the group warily but turned her eyes towards her fellow hero. 

She looked worried.

"Batman's been trying to reach you for a while." She said. "We need to go. Cl-Superman needs help."

"Where?" He asked, tension rising.

"Near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border," she said.

That was all Barry needed to hear. He was off in a flash of red and yellow.

"Sorry, talktoyoulater," he called back to the Elden Lord as he left.

The Elden Lord did not try and stop him.

****

"Did... Did we just get blown off?" I asked rhetorically as I watched Supergirl fly away.

"It would seem so," Ranni said.

"Pfffff," Yoruichi laughed as she landed on my shoulder. "Your face! You should see your face!"

I didn't need a mirror to know I looked pretty pissed. Not angry, just annoyed.

It was a pet peeve of mine that I hated being ignored or condescended to. I didn't have to be the center of attention, and I liked being underestimated, but my ego was such that blowing me off completely was a sure way to get onto my shit list.

"Something pretty serious must be happening," Glynda said as we were joined by the others.

"It better be Darkseid or something comparable, or I swear I am going to prank them so hard," I muttered as I pulled out my phone. Chances were, anything that Superman needed help with would be all over the news. "Huh."

"What?" Tsunade asked.

"Superman's going to die," I said plainly, my annoyance primarily forgotten. "Or at least, it looks like it."

"How come?" Robin asked, looking over my shoulder at the live news coverage of a battle on the other side of the world.

"That's Doomsday," I said, pointing to a grey monster covered in white spikes. The footage came from a helicopter over the battle, but I could still make out the remains of green cloth on a few spikes. As we watched, a brutal punch to Superman's face shot the Kryptonian across the field they were in. Doomsday looked relatively okay, but the man of tomorrow was covered in cuts and bruises. "In one of the most famous comics in my world, he and Superman end up killing each other. It's possible that won't happen here since it's a crossover world, but from the looks of it, the Blue Scout isn't doing too well, so he still might die."

"Should we do something?" Glynda asked.

"Why would we?" I looked around the gathered group. A few of them looked worried, but Scathact looked eager to go. "Even if Superman dies, he comes back. Doomsday, too, so you can stop looking at me like that, you battle junkie. The thing's primary ability to come back from the dead stronger than before. It takes a while, but it always happens. We can steal its corpse later and bring it to the Island for you to fight."

"If you say so," the celt said. Though her face looked blank, I could tell she was pouting. Adorable.

"We could use this as an olive branch," Medea pointed out. "Help them out and get some good publicity."

"We wouldn't be able to help too much," I waived her off, keeping my eyes on the footage. "I have an idea that might be able to kill him for good, but that's just a theory. The only one of us in the Family who could finish him off for sure would be Priscila, and she is nowhere near strong or fast enough to fight him. Gae Bolg could kill him once, maybe, but he would come back anyway. Everything else that would kill him would result in us taking huge chunks out of the US, which wouldn't look good."

"Then let us return to our vacation," Ranni said, uncaring of the plight of the heroes of this world. She was like me, fiercely loving and dedicated to those close to her and entirely unsympathetic for others.

Our Family was not a group of heroes.

With a few exceptions.

"I'm going to keep watching," I said.

There was something about the footage that was bothering me. It was on the tip of my tongue, yet it continued to elude me even as I watched Flash arrive to save a group of civilians.

Was Doomsday growing new spikes?

****

Superman was going to die.

Clark realized they had made a mistake after the first thirty minutes of fighting this grey monster.

This thing would kill him, not the Elden Lord.

A punch almost caved in Clark's face, but he managed to duck out of the way, the spikes on the thing's knuckles carving lines into the side of his head.

Clark returned the blow with one of his own. His unsuppressed punch hit the spiked chin of the beast with a thunderous smash. The air distorted from the force of the blow.

Clark really hoped Flash and the other heroes had evacuated the civilians. Not only was that a priority, but most heroes who tried to interfere in the fight were dispatched quickly by the monster. Most who took a blow from it did not get back up.

It was like fighting the Hulk again, only more bestial and bent on destruction.

It said not a word, only communicating in growls and roars but the sheer hatred and violence it gave off told him everything he needed to know.

A kick from a grey foot sent Clark tumbling end over end.

It was getting better. Better at fighting, better at countering, better at directing the pace of the battle. It had torn its bound arm free after the first ten minutes and, since then, had not been on the back foot even once.

Clark was hurt. 

He was tired and bruised in a way he never had been before. Even standing up again caused pain to flash through him, but stand up, he did.

He saw Myrddin try to suck up the monster into one of his portals, but the beast did not budge.

Early in the fight, Superman tried to fly it to more isolated areas. Spikes had grown on its feet to hold it in a place like some sort of demented pair of cleats. Then, when the ground gave way, the monster started to grow its 'shoes' even deeper into the ground, holding fast to the bedrock.

Now its legs looked completely armoured in white bone spikes. Smaller ones now covered almost every inch of grey skin, making any hit to it cause damage to the attacker.

This creature, whatever it was, was not only getting more innovative as the fight dragged on, it was getting stronger and more brutal. Adapting itself to new stimuli.

It was the ultimate killing machine.

So Superman was going to die, beaten to death by this monster. Clark had realized that a while ago.

He also realized he would still fight.

For the last few days, he had asked himself time and time again if he could really give his life. 

If he could die a hero's death.

Yes, he could.

Clark had never felt himself to be above anyone, despite his powers. He felt himself to be as mortal as his fellow man. He hadn't known if he would flee in fear when the time came.

He knew that, despite his imminent demise, he would stand and fight.

Not because he was a hero. 

Not because Superman was a symbol. 

Not because he promises the world or Captain America.

But because he was protecting something more precious than his life.

The fight had started in Ohio, but the monster had continued to direct it eastward. Over the last thirty minutes, they had covered hundreds of miles and decimated vast swathes of the country. Washington was visible in the distance.

Now they stood less than 100 miles from Metropolis.

From his home.

From Lois and Jon.

So Superman stood once more, bloody and beaten, as Iron Man rained missiles down on the beast to no effect. Captain America took a blow on his shield, falling to the ground even as the vibranium prevented his death.

Superman saved his idol with a blast of his heat vision.

The red beams once carved bloody gouges in the monster. Those wounds had healed, and now all it did was push the bony white beast back slightly, great grooves cut into the ground from its armoured legs.

Supergirl tried to capitalize on its destabilized footing but was grabbed from the air and thrown into the distance, destroying a nearby mountain.

With a wordless cry of rage, Superman reengaged the monster. Early in the fight, he pulled his punches, afraid he would kill the man.

Now he went all out, his fists impacting the spiky skin of the monster with enough force to decimate cities. The nearby glass shattered from the after-effects of their blows.

Clark was trying to kill someone for the first time in his life.

And he was failing.

The creature responded in kind, blows raining down on Superman as it roared its wordless cry of rage and hate at all life.

Then the monster adapted once more.

Rather than take a blow with its rugged body, it dodged out of the way, weaving under Superman's arm and grabbing the Kryptonian.

Its spiked hands wrapped around his neck. Clark could survive without air, but the beast wasn't trying to strangle him. It was trying to tear his head from his shoulders.

He was saved when a blade cut the monster's outstretched arm below the elbow.

Clark collapsed, gasping through his soar throat as he watched Diana try to impale the beast. Even as he watched, its arms regrew, only now covered in bony plate likes its legs.

You are reading story Rapturous Rhapsody at novel35.com

"I gotcha," a female voice told him as soft hands grabbed his shoulders and flew him away from the fight. "You've seen better days, Big Blue. Don't worry; Di's got this, and Ames will get you all healed up."

Glory Girl carried Superman away even as the X-men arrived to help Wonder Woman face the beast.

"You look like shit," Amelia said caustically as she laid her hands on Superman. She didn't even ask for his permission before healing him. Other heroes lay nearby. Some were already getting back on their feet. "You're lucky Batman let us out of our little asylum."

"Good to see you too," Clark rasped with a smile, well used to the maudlin woman since they had taken her down and tried to rehabilitate her. He was already feeling better.

"This better count as good behaviour," she snarked. "The earlier I get out of that place, the better. If I have to sit through one more episode of Vicky's fashion shows, I'll re-kill her myself."

"I'm sure it's not too bad," Superman's flesh re-knit together, and his bruises healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Easy for you to say," Amelia said as she stood up and started to walk toward another patient. "You don't have to live with her."

"AMES!!!!" Glory Girl shouted in the distance.

Superman turned in time to see a grey form rocket passed him toward the undefended healer.

Maybe it was more intelligent than they gave it credit for, and it understood the importance of targeting the healer first.

Perhaps the thing was angry to see the pain it inflicted undone.

Either way, as Glory Girl flew towards her sister in a panic and Superman reacted just a smidge too late to block the beast, the alien bore down on the former Red Queen.

Had this been a week ago, Amelia Lavere would have died as a bloody past under the punch of Doomsday.

But this was not Amelia Lavere, the recovering villain.

This was Amy Dallon.

Unshackled.

With a clumsy duck, Panacea avoided the punch of the beast.

With an equally unpracticed move, she lashed out with a fist.

A fist backed by the force of a Kryptonian physique.

Locked in M/S confinement, what was a girl to do but tinker with the new aspect of her powers? Why not give herself the benefits of the bodies of the greatest heroes the world had ever seen? She had healed Kryptonians and other brutes enough times to know how they worked.

In its lunge, the beast's legs had separated from the ground.

Amy's punch lacked the full force of Superman due to her poor form and relatively short time absorbing sunlight, but it was still strong enough to send the grey monster flying.

"Woah," Glory Girl exclaimed as she flew to a stop near her sister. "Ames! What was that?"

"I'll explain later," the Striker, now Brute, said seriously before turning to Superman. "We need to stop that thing as soon as possible."

"What do you think we've been trying, toots," Iron Man said, flying close to the group even as he continued to try and blast the monster when the other heroes gave him a target. "Why do you never have a Thor when you need one? Or a Hulk?"

"We need to kill it now!" Amy insisted. "When I touched that thing, I looked at its insides. It is not wearing out. It is getting stronger and more deadly with every second that passes. Its healing factor is insane. Unless we can eradicate it in one blow, I need to get my hands on it for at least a few seconds."

"Get ready then," Superman said. "I'll hold it in place for you."

As the Kryptonian dived back into the fray, dodging Colossus carrying a limp Rogue to safety as Cyclops blasted the monster in the chest, he felt a spark of hope kindle in his chest.

They could do this.

They would win.

Even if it killed him.

"Hold him," Clark shouted to Diana as both approached the monster together. Long years of teamwork meant no other words needed to be shared.

The monster's chest was armoured now, though still spikey enough to hurt anyone who tried to punch it. 

But Clark wasn't trying to punch him.

Superman's arms wrapped around the monster as if to tackle it away once more.

That wasn't the goal, either.

"Argh," Clark coughed up blood once more as the monster's fists battered at his body from above.

He only needed to weather the blows for a few seconds before a golden lasso wrapped around those arms, holding them tight together.

The beast roared again, its wrapped arms straining against the rope of the gods. Clark and Diana held fast, unwilling to let the monster move even an inch.

"Here's Vicky!" Glory Girl laughed as she dropped her sister behind the beast and dove to grab its legs just in case.

With all three heroes doing their part, Amy had enough time to lay her on the back of the monster.

She could see it all.

The rampant adaptation, the optimization for killing, and the Corona Pollentia connected to a Gemma working overtime to continue to adapt against her power.

A week ago, it would have won.

Now?

Amy shut down all its organs, cut all communication of the brain from the rest of the body and separated its spine from its neck.

The monster went still, its head falling at its feet.

There was a moment of tense silence.

Then someone cheered.

Then they were all cheering.

Amy kept her hand on both the body and the head, ensuring it was dead.

And it was.

The last activity of the brain stopped under her watchful eye.

****

The Clairvoyant could not predict, or even sense, anyone protected by the Defences.

Including Glory Girl.

Her contributions to the fight had been entirely outside its range of possibilities.

Unlike Amy.

The Clairvoyant could still account for her. And her new powers.

And, knowing that, it still concluded they were all doomed.

****

"Run!" Amy shouted to the cheering heroes even as she grabbed her sister and pulled her away.

The body remained unmoving.

The head opened its eyes.

She had removed her hand in time to avoid the spike of bone that would have impaled it.

Even as some heroes watched in stunned stupefaction, some were already moving to destroy the head.

It was too late.

Bone erupted from the stump of a neck in a cruel parody of Amy's real father's power.

In less than a second, it formed itself into a new body.

Almost centaur in shape, its bulky form as ten feet tall. Bone armour covered its four arms and six legs. The only patch of grey skin remaining uncovered was the head and the red eyes that glaired its hatred to the world.

It roared its primal fury to the gathering of heroes who, rather than fight to win, had to fight to stay alive.

****

"Thank you, princess," the teller said with a smile.

"You know I can resist your food, Giannis," Diana said with a smile as she paid for the food and passed it to Artoria. "How's the family?"

"Good," Artoria saw the tanned man smile at her friend. "'Dite is ready to pop any day now. We already have a room set up for the new little one. Painted it pink this time instead of green."

"I hope to hear about it when I come by next time," Diana said with a smile, even as she left a generous tip in the jar near the counter. "And Konstantinos? How's he handling the fact he's going to be a big brother?"

"Konstantinos?" The restaurant looked confused before shaking his head with a smile. "Do you mean Katerina? She is all excited about having a new little sister. Has all her dolls ready to go."

"Oh," Diana said, looking a bit poleaxed. "Sorry. My mistake."

"No problem," the greek man said as he shook his head fondly. "I know how busy you are. Between the embassy and being Wonder Woman, it is amazing that you remember my name at all."

"Thank you for the food."

Artoria frowned at her friend as they took their seats in a nearby booth. Even as she set the plates down, Diana simply stared at her meal without touching it.

"Diana?" Artoria asked gently.

"He added extra humus," the heroine said.

"Hm?"

"This was my favourite restaurant when I was working at the embassy," Diana explained as she stared at her plate in a daze. "A taste of home away from home. Giannis always adds extra humus because he knows I like it."

"That is kind of him."

"I've known him for years," Diana continued. "I was invited to his wedding. I was there when his son said his first word."

"You were close," Artoria paused eating to grasp her lover's hand.

"And now that son doesn't exist," the amazon seemed to sag into herself at her words. "This isn't my city. It looks like it, but it is not. Every time I step off the Island, I am reminded of that. I am the imposter here. The fake Diana."

"You are no fake," Artoria responded strongly.

"The only reason we can be here is that the other version of me is on the other side of the world!" Diana insisted. "She might be fighting the rest of our Family right now, and what are we doing? You are here babysitting me!"

"You know that is untrue," Artoria said softly. "I am not babysitting you. And Mikael will do all in his power to prevent a fight from starting."

"It is true," Diana replied. "Why else would you be here! He's afraid I'll join them! He still does not trust us!"

"He does trust us," Artoria said calmly, not goaded by her friends' inflammatory remarks. She was going through a lot. "The thought that you might side against the Family never entered his or my mind."

"Then why are the two strongest fighters being sidelined?" Diana asked rhetorically.

"Because it shouldn't become a fight," Artoria reiterated. "Because should the worst happen and one does break out, I would hate for you to go through the pain of fighting your friends, different versions or not."

Artoria had done that before. She had stood against her own knights on the battle of Camlann. A version of herself had set her knights against each other, and she had watched as the goddess Rhongomyniad as they tore each other apart on her orders. Though she had been an unfeeling machine at the time, the memory still haunted her today.

She did not wish that pain upon her friend.

"Artoria," Diana said softly, calming down. She was aware of the King of Knights' past, so she knew what her friend referred to.

"You say they don't trust you?" The blonde continued. "I would ask you to put your trust in them. Trust them to come to an accord. Trust them to win without bloodshed should it come to a battle. Trust Mikael when he promised to support us. When you asked if he would support you if you joined this Justice League, did he not promise his aid? Having friends you do not wish to see harmed does not make you any less part of the Family. Trust us when we say that we want you to be happy."

"I do trust you," Diana said, their fingers intertwined. "And I am sorry. My discomfort at this new world is no reason to lash out."

"No apology necessary," Artoria said with a smile as she released her hand. "Now, I believe our food is getting cold."

"Don't stop on my account. Dig in." Diana picked up her own fork to start her meal.

The next few minutes were passed in companionable conversation as Artoria asked more about what other favourite spots Diana had in the city she used to protect.

The Lancer finished her meal in record time, but the heroine was still picking at hers when alarms rang out throughout the city streets.

With barely a word, both women exited the small restaurant to see what was happening.

All around the street, people were hurrying away. Those that weren't fleeing were standing in place, faces glued to the screens of their phones.

The sirens continued to wail as Artoria approached a teenage boy holding his phone.

"Excuse me, lad." She asked politely but insistently. "What is this alarm? Has an Endbringer appeared?"

"Nah. This is a general alarm. Ya know, villains and shit." The young man looked up from his phone to see intense green eyes flecked with gold staring at him. "Woah! Too close! You scared me."

"Do you know where the villain is?" Artoria asked.

"Just outside the city," the boy stammered under her gaze. "You can watch it on the news."

"May we see your phone?" Artoria held out her hand, her words more of an order than a request. Grail Knowledge did not make her a technology expert, but she knew the basics.

"Never mind," Diana called out to her friend as she removed her device and looked up one of the local stations' websites. Another thing that remained the same, yet different. "I have it."

Artoria looked over her friends' shoulders to watch as images depicted various heroes fighting. For a moment, she feared that her Family had gotten into a fight after all, but then the camera zoomed in on a grey face atop a body covered in bone armour.

"Doomsday," Diana hissed.

"Truly?" Artoria asked as they watched. "He is different than what you described. More bestial."

"I'd recognize that face anywhere," Diana insisted. "You don't forget something that kills your friend."

"They are losing," Artoria calmly pointed out as the heroes on screen tried to attack the monster, rebuffed by an eruption of bony spikes projectiles.

"He's stronger than my world," Diana said as they watched Superman try and punch the beast. It was pushed back less than a foot and punched the man of steel with two of its arms. "Tougher too."

"Damn," the boy swore as he watched Wolverine be trampled under the bony legs of the monster. "Just when the Simurgh gets killed, this bastard shows up. We just can't win."

Diana went still.

"Artoria?" There was an odd lilt to her voice as she asked. "Do you think Mikael will truly support us?"

"He would," she nodded without hesitation. "He promised us."

"Even if we do something stupid?"

"He still would," Artoria nodded again, though she felt the need to add something else this time. "Though he will tease us for it relentlessly."

"I can live with that," Diana said with a wild smile.

****

The Clairvoyant could see everything in the multiverse once activated.

But it could not see a conversation on the Island two weeks after D-day. 

It did not see how a man promised to do right by his Family. To make every world they lived in a paradise for them.

It's amazing how one night, and one family conversation, can set dominoes into motion to change the world.

****

They were going to lose, Clark realized with a bitter taste in his mouth.

That could be the blood.

Or stomach acid.

It was hard not to feel bitter.

Bruce had said Clark would be able to win if he was prepared to die.

No matter how you looked at it, there was no way to win. This wasn't like the Elden Lord that evaded all blows by being dimensionally shifted.

The thing was right here!

They had thrown everything they had at it and more. They had killed it three times!

And it just. Kept. Coming. Back!

It was like a smaller Endbringer made of flesh and bone instead of silicone.

According to one of Myrrdin's rare insights on the nature of powers, this thing's ability was permanent adaptive regeneration. Everything they knew about power stemmed from Corona Pollentia, and Gemma said that once a brain died, that was it. No more powers.

This thing was adapting to its own death.

If it stayed dead for five seconds the first time, it did so for only two the second when Shazam arrived to help. The third time it died, it came back right away.

Unless the Sorcerer Supreme appeared or they discovered some other way to banish this thing, they would all die, and the earth would follow them.

Superman steadied himself with a deep, pained breath. He was one of the only few heroes still standing. Panacea had been working non-stop to keep healing them after her powers no longer functioned on the beast, but there were simply too many injuries for her to heal everyone. Barry had been working overtime to pull civilians out of the way and retreat with any heroes too wounded to continue.

Even as the beast trampled Wolverine, it turned toward the gathered heroes and charged again as they stood between it and the country's capital.

He wasn't giving up. 

He never would.

Even as Superman stood in front of the fallen forms of his friends and allies, he braced himself.

The beast grew more prominent in his vision as it approached like a stampeding horse.

Heat vision impacted its head, but it did no damage.

They had not been able to hurt it at all since its most recent revival.

Still, Superman stood his ground as his destined killer bore down on him.

Only to be intercepted by a spear of light.

The blast carved a chunk from the beast's body bigger than Superman and sent it tumbling to the side.

"That is quite enough out of you, beast," a regal voice said calmly.

Superman saw the knight approach a white steed. Clad in gleaming armour, she rode in front of them. Her blonde hair was done in a bun, adorned with a golden circlet. Her green eyes, flecked with gold, evaluated them for just a moment before turning back to look at the monster they had been fighting.

In her hands was the most beautiful weapon Clark had ever seen.

The Lance was threaded silver interwoven into and over itself in the shape of a spear. Gold light spilled from the grooves and where the woman gripped the handle. Clark could feel the Power of it thrum through the air.

The beast was not impressed.

Its wounds healed; it charged at the woman in a gallop, intent on tearing her down as it had many heroes before her.

She met the charge with one of her own. Her horse dashed forward at a speed few supers could match, and her Lance levelled at the monster.

Like a classic joust, the two figures narrowed the distance between each other.

Only one of them had experience jousting.

Ducking under the monster's swinging arms, the blonde's land impaled the beast's side. Half of its body exploded in another explosion of light and a cavalcade of gore.

The beast was not so easily slain, however. It healed as she rode past, and bony spikes erupted from its back. The horse nimbly dodged most of them, and the knight deflected the rest. One lucky shot impaled itself into her arm, passing through the metal to reach flesh.

Clark started to move to aid the knight when an arm held him fast.

Looking down, he saw Diana holding him in place.

"Don't worry," she said as she met his eyes. "Artoria can handle him for a bit. I'll join her in a moment. You guys rest up."

"Who are you?!" A familiar voice demanded, and Clark turned to see... Diana? She glared at the woman holding him still, her sword at hand.

"I'm you," the Diana near him said softly as she stepped away. "I'm a version of you. One further down the path and with a family to protect. One who will do you a favour so you might not see your friend die as I did."

She turned then and drew her own sword.

"Artoria!" The new Diana shouted, and the blonde knight disengaged from the monster and rushed to the Amazon's side. All her injuries had already healed, just like the monster's, and her horse vanished from under as well. Her spear remained in her hand, however, still glowing with power. "Protect them?"

"Of course," the blonde nodded imperiously. "I take it you have come to another foolish decision?"

"Unless you can unleash its full power here?" Diana asked, but Artoria shook her head.

"Not without destroying the city and a good portion of the state. But my other Noble Phantasm is still good. They shall come to no harm."

The beast took this opportunity to charge once more.

It was intercepted by a Lion of Light.

"Who are you?" Diana, the real Diana, asked again.

"They are consorts to the Elden Lord," Clark said while taking a deep breath. "Both of them."

"Really?" Glory Girl said as she returned from dropping off Amelia with the patients. She grabbed Myrddin, his legs crushed, and threw him over her shoulder. Even now, the Flash continued to act as a ferry, bringing injured heroes away and returning with fresh ones. "Boss never said anything about having a Di of his own. He was holding out on me."

"We are," Other-Diana nodded, ignoring the new arrival. "Though consort is not the term I would use."

"He returns," Artoria interrupted. "Sir Yvain's Lion has only delayed him. How do you wish to face him?" Myrrdin gasped, possibly in pain.

"I think it is time I tried out a few of Mikael's collection," Other-Diana said with a smile. "It is a shame if all those weapons go rusty from disuse. Something is bound to be able to kill it."

"Then I shall see to their safety. Good hunting."

Diana, the new one, stepped in front of the group and glowed a dark red. A dozen women, made of red energy and see-through, stepped from her body. 

As she did so, she pulled out a small box and upended its contents onto the ground.

From it poured a mountain of weapons of all sorts. Hammers and spears. Flails, morning stars, bows, and more swords than Clark had ever seen in his life. Dozens of weapons he could not even begin to name filled his vision.

Once armed, some with weapons too large for their frames, all the women stood beside the other Diana.

"My sisters!" She shouted to the group, and Clark realized they were all garbed in amazonian attire. The Wonder Woman beside him gasped. 'Mother?' he heard her ask under her breath. "Today, we shall hold a hunt worthy of Artemis! Today, we hunt Doomsday!"

The amazons let out a soundless cheer and rushed at the approaching Doomsday.

"In the sky, on land, on the sea..." Artoria chanted, her eyes closed and her spear impaled into the ground. Power gathered around her as her chant continued. 

"Shine Brilliantly, My Radian Hall: Bright Ehangwen!"

Light spread out around the group of injured and weary heroes. It coalesced into a brilliant silver platform under their feet, and they rose into the air. More light gathered in front of them, blocking them from the fight.

They were on a ship, Clark realized. An airship of some sort.

"While my hall pales before the walls of Camelot that Sir Galahad may conjure, it shall serve as a haven to you all." The blonde knight, Artoria, stood up on the prow and looked at the imperiously. Like a king in her hall. "So long as you maintain the peace, abide by your heroic conduct, and Diana still calls you all friends, you shall be protected in this hall. You have my word as Artoria Pendragon."

Myrddin fainted.

********

For over five minutes, Diana battled Doomsday alone. 

The semblance-created versions of her amazonian sisters worked with her like a well-oiled machine. They juggled this monster back and forth, never letting it rest or recuperate. With her mastery of Observation Haki kept the damage to a minimum, so she was rarely forced to replace one of her summonses when the monster pulled out a new trick and surprised her.

The acid spit had been a really nasty surprise.

They tried all the weapons they could. Mikael had spoken of a few crafted from the souls of the gods he had slain. 

Undoubtedly one of those would lay this beast low. Unfortunately, Diana was unaware of which weapons were which and was thus forced to try them all.

Wonder Woman let go of Cursed Greatsword with a curse after carving Doomsday's back legs in twain. The monster healed from it instantly.

A few weapons, like the Cursed Greatsword, were powerful enough that Doomsday took a while to heal the first blow. But all the weapons they had found eventually ceased to be useful as it adapted to their power. IT would start to heal quicker and quicker and then receive no damage at all.

Philippus smashed a half-broken axe against Doomsday's back, causing the alien to roar in pain.

This time, Mala's weapon of choice, a Dragon Bone Fist, smashed its mouth shut.

Nubia pierced its chest with a dragonslayer's spear.

Hessia weaved between the beast's legs with flowing swords of magic and fire.

Arrows larger than Diana herself pierced Doomsday in place from Antiope's bow.

Over and over, they tore, crushed, cut and smashed the alien. Sometimes it took seconds to regenerate. Sometimes it did so instantly.

But it always healed.

And the pile of weapons was getting smaller.

Diana rushed back to grab another, but she stopped when she saw the man sitting on a massive hammer shaped like a golden drum.

"What's up?" Mikeal asked with a smile. "I see you've taken a liking to my collection. That's cool."

"Mikael," Diana sighed with a smile. "I take it the others are here as well?"

"They're around," he nodded. "Before we did anything else, I just wanted to ask you what the plan was? You know, so I wouldn't mess it up by barging in? Although, since we are all over the news of the world, I think it might be too late for that."

"Plan?" Diana asked, feeling a bit embarrassed at his gentle reprimand.

"You can't tell me it was just to hit it until it dies?" He sounded so confused that Diana couldn't help but flush in embarrassment. While it was a bit more complicated than that, that was her plan in a nutshell. "What about Priscila? You had to have stopped by the Island to get my stuff. You could have asked her for help. She's his perfect counter."

"No!" Diana denied the suggestion emphatically. "She is not strong, fast, or experienced enough that I would feel comfortable about having her face Doomsday. Just because she is a Dragon of Death does not mean she can kill everything she wishes."

"I agree," Mikael nodded, accepting her judgment call. "So how are you going to kill it? I'll let you in on a little secret. It seems to have the power of Crawler, one of the Slaughter House 9 I sent you after."

"That would explain its quick adaptation," Diana nodded, remembering his advice on the subject. "How should I slay him? Doomsday returns from the dead, and Crawler heals from anything that doesn't kill him."

"You should vaporize him completely down to the last atom. Your Breath wouldn't work, but Artoria's would if she got a direct hit. Or you could carry him out to sea and let her use Rhongomyniad. We could deal with the tsunami afterwards." The first idea was novel, not one she had considered due to the relative newness of their dragon forms. The second idea was one Diana already had, though one she was hesitant to use. Mikael must have sensed that hesitation because he asked. "What's wrong?"

"If I wish to be the one to slay the beast?" Diana asked, staring into his slit pupil. "Do you have a method for that?"

"Why?" He asked plainly, not denying that he did.

"Because we could never permanently kill the Doomsday of my world," Diana stated. "Because I wish to end a threat to the Family and this world with my own hands. Because I wish to never sit on the sidelines again while those I care about fight and die, and I am helpless to do anything!"

Mikael stared at her for a moment, even as she felt one of her summonses be destroyed.

"Ok," he nodded.

"Ok?" She asked at his simple response.

"Ok," he nodded again, this time with a smile. "I told you, didn't I? I'd support you all, no matter what. As you all did for me, I will for you. If you want to kill something, I'll gladly help. Though this one is easy. I've been thinking about how to do it since I first saw Doomsday on the news."

He waived his hands, and a blade sank between them.

It was a straight sword, simple in design, unlike most of his other weapons. If one looked closely, one could see its blade was made of stone, but it glistened like metal. Golden runes, faint to all but the most discerning, flickered in and out of existence along its blade.

There was a weight to the blade despite its relatively small size.

This was a weapon with a history, with power.

Forged from the body of an Elden Lord and the Elden Rune, this sword had slain a God.

"The stone scales of the Dragonlord lightly twist time," Mikael explained. "That's what makes it a Godslaying Blade. Any wound this inflicts will never heal. But Doomsday can still just cut out the damaged part and regrow it. Then he'll be wary. You only have one shot at this."

"One shot is all I need," Diana said as she pulled the blade from the earth.

Another one of her Amazons disappeared.

That was fine.

Diana returned to where her last three summons were still engaging with Doomsday.

Her Observation Haki allowed her to dodge the glob of acid spit.

Her Armament Haki deflected a bone spike shot at her.

The summoned form of her mother, Hippolyta, glowing red with the power of her semblance, blocked Doomsday's fists with a shield bash that released a lion's roar.

Diana smiled to herself as she threw herself over the beast.

Even as she fought alone, her Family was still with her.

She plunged her husband's sword between Doomsday's brows and out through the back of his skull.

The alien stilled and, with an earth-shaking rumble, its massive form toppled. 

Diana rode the fall to the ground, her hand grasping the Godslaying Blade in place. She did not take it out for fear the monster would revive.

As she stood atop the body of her foe, she felt a hand clasp her shoulders warmly.

"Good job," Mikael said with a smile. "Knew you could do it. Never doubted you for a moment. Of course, you made a mess, but nobody is perfect."

Diana rolled her eyes fondly at Mikael's spew of bullshit and shut him up the only way she knew how.

With her lips.

The heroes saw an older Wonder Woman kissing the Elden Lord atop the hulking body of Doomsday as they descended to the ground in King Arthur's flying hall.

As they landed, the hall shimmered and disappeared, and the weary heroes watched Artoria approach her husband and friend.

"So glad you all could make it," Mikael said to them with a smile as he separated from Wonder Woman. He took a seat upon one of the spikes of the monster, his eyes lingering on the Flash and a battered Supergirl. Eight more 'consorts' emerged from the corpse's shadow and faced the heroes. "I think we were rudely interrupted back there, but no harm, no foul. We can start over. So, why are you all ruining my vacation?"

Jimmy Olsen, a reporter for the Daily Planet, would later win a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph of that moment.

On one side, the battered and beaten forms of the heroes everyone was familiar with.

On the other stood ten women framed by the sun setting behind them. Atop the monstrous body of Doomsday, as if seated upon a throne and not a corpse, sat the Elden Lord. 

Smiling down at everyone like he was having the time of his life.

*********

Betcha didn't see that coming! Did ya?

Doomsday with Crawler's powers.

I gave myself nightmares with that combo since they fit so well. The exact 'hows' and 'whys' will be explored later, but it turned out pretty well. The fight scene was four pages longer, but I cut a massive chunk because I was being gratuitous at that point.

I wrote this chapter in one sitting. For 12 hours, I was in the zone. It was so much fun. The rest of the week was spent on editing.

Diana's part in this is something I feel not many comic authors tackle. How do you cope if you are transported to a world (or different time) that looks almost exactly the same as your home? I would run into the Uncanny Valley every second, and I'd flip out, I think. Part of this fic is exploring a few of these ideas. It is one of the reasons I wanted to write in a comic world. To explore a few themes that aren't really handled.

How do you react to a version of yourself sleeping with the enemy?

Next week I have plans for an Interlude, an interlewd (as there has been too little of that), and then we move on to part 2 of volume 2.

See you all next time.

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