Chapter 14: Teaming with Zatanna!
"Looks like I came just in time." Zatanna spoke, an impression of supreme confident and utter flair radiating from her elegantly dressed body as she looked towards Kayn, as if inspecting him.
"Hmm, might taking off that mask for me? I promise I won't tell others in the League." Zatanna said cheerfully as she looked around the environment, surveying the situation to decide the best course of action.
"We'll discuss this later." Kayn said. From the various DC media he had consumed in his past life, he knew Zatanna was an extremely charismatic, cheerful, brave person who is also playful and a joker at times.
However, he needed to stay focused and complete the tasks at hand.
"Zatanna, perfect timing. We need to hold off these monsters and get these civilians to safety while waiting for info regarding APEX's core location." Kayn said, his voice steady despite the mayhem around them.
Zatanna just nodded and moved toward, spotting a variety of grotesque monsters flooding towards her, as if sensing the formidable power she wielded.
With a wave of her hand, she called out, "Erusserp!" Instantly, the air around the monsters compressed, forcing dozens of them down to the ground.
The creatures writhed, all struggling against the invisible bonds, but Zatanna's magic held firm.
"Not so fast, ugly bastards," she muttered, her voice low and resolute. She raised her hands, and a series of arcane symbols began to glow in the air around her. "Etativel! Erongi erif otni enots!"
As she spoke the incantation, the symbols shot towards the monsters, wrapping them all chains of magical fire, restricting their movement and burning them ferociously.
The flames crackled with a brilliant intensity, turning the roars of the monsters into shrieks of pain. They thrashed violently, but the enchanted chains tightened, burning away the poisonous tendrils that composed its form.
Zatanna's eyes narrowed as she concentrated, channeling more of her immense magical power. "Nigiro siht ni nruter ot tsud!" she commanded, her voice echoing with authority. The chains glowed even brighter, and the forms of the various monsters began to dissolve, their grotesque bodies disintegrating into ash and dust.
Civilians cautiously emerged from their hiding places, their faces filled with awe and gratitude. Zatanna gave them a reassuring smile, tipping her top hat slightly. "The streets are dangerous, please head over there into safety," she said, her voice carrying a warm, calming tone.
Meanwhile, Kayn had just slashed through another dozen enemies, ripping them to shreds as he looked around, seeing their numbers beginning to thin out.
The pressure being relieved alot with the arrival of Vixen and especially Zatanna, who skillfully defeated the opponents with her immense arcane power.
"Kayle, status update on the HQ location," Kayn said through the comms.
"I've narrowed it down to an underground facility near the city center. They've got heavy defenses, but I'm working on hacking their systems," Kayle's voice crackled through the earpiece.
"Keep at it. We're moving in," Kayn replied, then turned to the others, "Mika, Soren, Zatanna, lets go. The others can handle everything here."
Zatanna, wielding her plasma cannons, took point alongside Kayn, as the most powerful and experienced of the current members, her monster kill count quickly surpassed everyone but Kayn.
She blasted through the horde with precision, all the while Kayn flashed through the enemies, using his telekinesis alongside his strength and weapon to swiftly yet efficiently dispatch of anyone in his way.
Mika and Soren moved behind Kayn and Zatanna, taking care of any monsters attacking from the sides, while informing any civilians they found of the safe zones they can head to.
The density of the monsters increased, indicating they were getting closer to the heart of the enemy's operation. His scythe whirled in deadly arcs, each swing taking down multiple foes.
As they approached the city center, the ground trembled, and a massive underground entrance began to reveal itself. The facility's heavy defenses were visible, turrets and automated weapons systems activating as they drew near.
"DLEIHS!" Zatanna muttered, a shield of Magical energy appearing and blocking the attacks of all of the turrets, protecting the others behind her.
"Kayle, we're at the entrance. Can you disable the defenses?" Kayn asked hurriedly through the comms.
"Already on it. Give me a few seconds," Kayle replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard from their headquarters remotely.
The turrets whirred and then powered down, the lights flickering out. "You're clear," Kayle confirmed.
"That hacker is quite useful, maybe I'll employ her services sometime." Zatanna said with a chuckle before leading the way.
The facility's interior was a stark contrast to the chaos outside. It was cold and sterile, the walls lined with advanced technology and screens displaying various data.
Additionally, the monsters inside were unique. They were more powerful, but also more unstable. Sometimes, their cores exploded without any need for combat, and some monsters even attacked their allies, yet the majority of them mindlessly walked around using their overbearing power to attack Kayn and the team.
"We need to find their command center," Kayn said, his eyes scanning the area.
"This way," Zatanna said, her spiritual senses guiding them.
"eriF fo sralliP." Zatanna muttered, multiple massive pillars of fire appearing from underneath the various monsters, burning them tyrannically.
Meanwhile, Kayn tightly held his Scythe, channeling his power through the weapon. Lightning surged from his body, arcing outwards in blinding bolts.
The ground beneath him cracked and splintered as the electricity tore through it, reaching out like the wrathful fingers of a vengeful god.
He flashed through various monsters, tearing them to shreds as he annihilated them, his scythe chopping them to pieces effortlessly.
All the while, he fired magic plasma blasts than annihilated monsters upon connection, as he rampaged through them all alongside his team.
"Thunderclap Annihilation!"
The air erupted in a deafening roar. Bolts of lightning struck the monsters, vaporizing them on contact. The creatures' tortured screams were drowned out by the explosive bursts of electricity, their forms disintegrating into ash.
Kayn moved with relentless precision, each swing of his scythe releasing another wave of destructive lightning.
"The command centre is right there." Zatanna spoke, and they finally reached the command center. The room was filled with consoles and screens, a large central terminal dominating the space.
"Kayle, get us access to their systems. We need to shut this place down," Kayn ordered.
Kayle nodded, quickly moving to the terminal. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, bypassing security protocols and accessing the facility's mainframe.
"Got it. Shutting down their operations," Kayle said, her voice triumphant.
The screens flickered and then went dark, the hum of machinery dying down.
"It's over," Kayn said, a sense of relief washing over him.
"Not quite," a voice echoed through the room. A figure emerged from the shadows, clad in a dark suit and exuding an aura of malevolence.
"You've only delayed the inevitable. APEX will rise again," the figure sneered, and behind him, 3 absolutely gigantic monsters appeared, their bodies massively unstable as Kayn could tell they would explode soon even if he didn't defeat them.
"Not if we have anything to say about it," Kayn said, stepping forward.
The figure laughed, a cold, chilling sound. "Subject #257, you bring death and destruction to everything you touch, a Harbinger of the End, we'll destroy you soon." The figure said before slowly beginning to fade away, but....
"noisnemiD fo tnemnosirpmI" Zatanna's confident voice boomed out, her eyes serious as he stared at the opponent.
Suddenly, Kayn could feel his own powers slightly suppressed, Zatanna's domain of power wrapping around the room as she trapped the enemy inside.
"Not so fast, I'll handle him, you three handle the rest." Zatanna spoke, sending a magic blast that sent the enemy crashing through the wall, levitating towards him.
Kayn reminded himself he needed some tips from Zatanna on Magic before returning to battling the 3 huge monsters.
A fierce battle erupted, the room filled with flashes of light.
"Spiritual SunSet." Mika muttered, a blast of spiritual energy crashing into one of the monsters, leading it to attack one of its allies.
"I can control it for a bit, but you 2 need to deal with the others." Mika spoke, her face in a grimace as she attempted to control such a powerful being for the first time.
"On it." Kayn muttered, a smile on his face as he leapt into action. The monsters were a total amalgamation of twisted flesh, alien technology, poison and dark magical runes.
Kayn spun his scythe, deflecting the attack of one of them with a burst of dark energy. "You'll regret crossing my path," he growled, his eyes blazing with an otherworldly purple light.
Mika's controlled monster lunged and attacked one of them, bringing it to the floor, momentarily contained as Soren shot at it with a wave of crushed rocks and rubble from the destroyed walls.
Meanwhile, Kayn focused on his monster. He darted forward, his scythe a blur as he slashed at the creature's body. Each strike left a trail of black lightning, searing through the monster's defenses.
"AAAAOOORRRGG!" The monster growled in inhuman pain, rearing back to strike again.
Kayn anticipated the move, sidestepping and driving his scythe into the ground. "Shadow's Embrace!" he shouted.
Tendrils of darkness erupted from the earth, wrapping around the serpent and pulling it down, constricting its movements.
With the monster immobilized, Kayn raised his hand, summoning a sphere of crackling dark energy. "Feel the wrath of the so called Harbinger of the End!" he declared, unleashing the sphere. It exploded on contact, obliterating the monster in a blinding flash of light and shadow.
Kayn turned to see Soren still battling the monster alongside the one Mika controlled.
"Need a hand?" Kayn called out.
"Just in time," Soren replied, sweat glistening on his brow.
Kayn dashed forward, his scythe glowing with accumulated energy. "Let's finish this," he said, his voice filled with grim determination. He leaped onto the behemoth's back, driving his scythe into a crack in its hide. "Lightning Requiem!"
A surge of purple lightning erupted from the scythe, coursing through the behemoth's body. The creature roared in agony, its skin fracturing and crumbling. With a final, desperate swing, Kayn drove the scythe deeper, shattering the monster's core.
The behemoth collapsed, its massive form disintegrating into rubble. Kayn landed lightly beside Soren, breathing heavily. "Harbinger of the End, huh? Seems fitting," Soren remarked, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Kayn nodded, his expression resolute. "This is just the beginning. We have a lot more work to do."
"When I heard there was a mysterious group out there working with the League, I didn't expect you all to be this competent." Zatanna spoke, a confident smirk on her lips as she had the figure restricted and knocked out.
"Guess we proved ourselves, lets check on the surface." Kayn said, beginning to walk out of the base to check on what happened outside of the base.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone