Chapter 65: Decalogy part 1/3
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(General P.O.V)
The fight had gone terribly.
At first, things had started out well. Green Lantern had flown up and quickly started dispatching the Man Bats, leading them away from the cages and around the crater.
The Lantern had caused a massive explosion behind him, causing the walls of the crater to crumble on the contingent of Man Bats after him. Then he took advantage of the distraction to construct a massive spider web that the rest of the Man Bats got stuck in.
He followed up his creation with a large taser construct. One that caused an electric charge along the web, frying the Man Bats.
Batman on the other hand had jumped onto the Island, cautiously but quickly walking closer to the throne on which Jaznoz Valentine stood infront of, a mocking smile on his pig face.
"I might be my son's father Batman, but don't expect to take me down so easily."
Jaznoz told the Dark Knight, removing a vial of a green liquid from his coat pocket.
A batarrang broke through the vial before Jaznoz could gulp it down. The liquid splashed across his chest, face and neck, causing him to blink, stunned.
The dark knight tightened his hand into a fist and punched the villain straight on the jaw. The head whipped back in a motion that definitely caused neck damage.
Jaznoz Valentine's body fell to the ground, his jaw dislocated and a quarter of his teeth on the ground under him.
Breathing had instantly become a problem and he begun wheezing.
"Rise."
He heard a voice deep in the caverns of his depraved mind.
"Remember...death... destruction... devotion. Serve me and I shall grant you everything, slave."
A powerful and malevolent voice sounded in Jaznoz' mind.
Batman stepped forward.
"It's over Valentine. You were nothing but a pawn for whoever the real mastermind is. You have a chance to stop this now. Stand Down."
Batman told him, looming over the villain like an executioner.
Jaznoz body started trembling with laughter. His neck snapped in place with a crack. Then looked up with bloodshot eyes.
"You're wrong, Batman!"
Jaznoz snarled, a wide crazed smile on his face.
His eyes lit up, releasing a wide burst of red energy that was received by Batman on his dark cloak. The Dark Knight was thrown away. He used the momentum to transition his free fall into a flip, rolling onto the walkway towards the throne before getting up in a crouch. He groaned, his body smoking.
Jaznoz Valentine's body rose up in one motion, his eyes glowing red.
"I am of no will now Batman!" He snarled with wide eyes.
"I deal with a force unknown to man. Unknown to you, man of darkness!"
In his palm were the remains of the vial.
He looked at the sharp end of the glass in fascination before turning to Batman.
"We all have a destiny to fullfil!"
He brought the broken shard close to his neck, eyes shining in manic devotion.
The Dark Knight eyes widened.
"Witness as I supercede any of my father's accomplishments!! Witness as I destroy the world!!"
Jaznoz yelled, spit flying off his mouth just as Batman jumped in.
Jaznoz' fingers tightened on the remains of the vial before slashing the broken shard across his neck. His eyes widened further at the action.
Clarity seemed to return to him in that same second. His life flashed before his eyes along with the blood splashing across his chest and neck. The green liquid that covered his torso begun worming itself through the slash on his neck and into his blood stream.
Lava coursed through his body.
What...had...he...done?
Blood sprayed out of the Villain's neck the same time Batman's batarrangs stabbed onto the ground around him.
There was a massive explosion, one that caused the small island the throne was on to crumble underneath the fiery green blaze, it's remains sinking into the green Lazarus pool.
Batman shot his zip line onto the wall of the crater, managing to hang on as the island disappeared into the green liquid depths of the Lazarus pit.
With the aid of the zip line he swung across, managing to just barely take a leap towards the mouth of a tunnel. Then he rolled inside just in time to avoid the massive explosion brewing from the Lazarus pool.
Batman huddled under his cloak as the red scarlet plumes of the fire ascended, destroying the walls of the crater and shooting towards the sky.
He screamed as his fire resistant costume tried and failed to keep the heat away. His blood boiled within him as the green explosion reached through the tunnel and begun burning his skin. For the first time ever, the Dark Knight was sure of his death.
And he gladly accepted it. All of this was his fault. If he hadn't...if he hadn't pushed Raven to the brink...if he had let go of his ego and apologized for his actions towards Davian...if he hadn't fucked everyone over...
Then Gotham would be alive.
But Gotham was Dead. What use was a Batman without a Gotham?
Green Lantern's eyes widened as he looked down and saw the brewing explosion headed towards him.
"Fuuuuuuccckkk!!!"
He pushed his hand towards the crater and begun quickly chanting.
"In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
A green shield enclosed him and everyone on the cages hanging from the non existent ceiling of the crater.
The pillar of explosion burst through the crater barely a split second later. The blaze was barely stopped by the shield and Hal's guttural screams were the only thing had as the light consumed everything.
Hundreds of miles away from Gotham, a brown-skinned man stopped his truck on the side of the road that was headed to the city.
He stepped out of the vehicle and immediately his body fell onto the ground like a puppet with cut strings.
Deadman left the trucker's body and flew towards the sky. A few seconds earlier, he had felt a burst of power.
Then the horizon begun glowing red.
"What is going on there?"
Deadman wondered while flying across the landscape, only for a wide burst of light, unseen by the normal person, encompassed his vision completely.
(Davian's P.O.V)
"She wants to protect you. Once again I commend you on your talent to court powerful females."
Chase complimented.
"It's not...arghh."
I gave up, choosing to instead focus on the terse mood between Raven and Constantine's group.
I stepped in between the two groups as they argued back and forth.
"Everybody shut the fuck up."
I stated with a sigh.
"First of all, you."
I pointed at Raven. She blinked in confusion.
"You know me better than anyone. If you think I'm just going to lay down and accept that we've lost, you have another thing coming."
I pulled out Chesha Neko, twirling the long sword.
"I am going to kick your dad's face in Rae Rae. And I am going to make it hurt."
"Rae Rae?"
Chase wondered.
"It just came out. Drop it."
I told him tersely.
Raven said nothing. Speechless at my bold claim.
"Then there's you."
I turned to Constantine's group.
"You've been more pain than actual help."
I could tell that that comment did not tide over well with them. The indication was Green Arrow's tightening on his bow as well as Harley's pout.
"Who are you calling useless brat?"
Catwoman asked, displaying her sharp claws.
"Kitty got claws."
Chase hummed in appreciation. Huh, I forgot he's a cat.
"Not useless." I shook my head, fully facing them.
"Less than useless. And I'll tell you why. Your friend over there tried to kill Raven."
I pointed at Constantine. The magician barely reacted, he'd known I would call him out.
"The venom from the snake you're all standing on erodes everything. Even the soul. Had it successfully landed on the dome, Raven would be dead. There is no coming back from having your soul destroyed."
That revelation certainly changed things.
Every eye turned to look at Constantine. The brit narrowed his own eyes at me.
"Is he speaking the truth? Were we about to murder a kid?"
Green Arrow asked in a serious tone. The group's aggression shifted from Raven to the Magician.
Constantine looked down at the ground, his dirty blonde hair falling over his face.
"Bollocks. What I wouldn't give for a smoke."
He reached into his pocket.
"Now."
Chase called out.
I disappeared in a Shunpo, arriving next to him and gripping his wrist just as he pulled out a strange straw doll with two pairs of limbs and two heads.
"Not so fast."
I smirked, grabbing the straw doll from his hands.
"I knew you had something up your sleeve. It was just a matter of waiting to see the trick."
"The doll contains soul signatures from the ones you call Superman and the Flash."
Chase informed me, shedding light on a few things.
"Back off kid. I might not trust this guy but I certainly don't trust you either."
Green Arrow warned, a green arrow notched and aimed towards me.
The others with the exclusion of the two heroes from the future, who decided to simply stand to the side and observe, looked ready to defend Constantine as well.
"They have no idea."
Chase bemoaned.
Let's change that.
I held up the doll.
"Do you know what this is?"
Constantine's back stiffened. I could easily pick up his increased heart rate through my superior senses.
"You want to tell them or should I?"
My question made him clench his jaw.
"What is he talking about?"
Ivy asked, the Serpent under her command hissing while glaring down at Constantine.
"Well?"
Catwoman prodded but the Magician remained silent, watching me intently.
"Mmmh...it's not like him to stay silent, right?"
Chase wondered and I couldn't help agree.
"Fine, I'll answer. This doll contains the soul signatures of Superman and the Flash. And taking into account all the Hollywood movies I have no doubt, you've watched and grown tired of, you can all guess what it's function is."
Catwoman inhaled sharply.
"That's what you were doing."
She said in realization.
"When you said that you were stacking the odds in our favor you actually meant..."
"Controlling two justice league members who had been a few minutes prior possessed by demons."
I finished the statement.
"How heroic."
Harley twirled her bat, gripping it threateningly.
"You know, I hate heroes. Heroes ruin my fun. But I hate kid killers more. There's something disturbingly wrong with you Johnny. And that's coming from me."
Then she swung out her bat. It thrummed through the air before connecting with Constantine's head. Only to pass through his form. He'd duped us. Used the time while I was explaining to the others to create an illusion of himself. One that could even deceive my senses.
A yellow circle flashed under all of us and then blackened chains shot out, wrapping around our bodies and bringing us to the ground.