Bab 31: Chapter 31. Peace & Justice Part 1
[Batman: Images & GIFs]
The tension in the air was palpable, and the only thing that eased things was the constant quaking of the falling island.
My muscles were tense, and I could tell so were those of the heroes standing not far away from me. I was ready to react at a moments notice if any was to try a sneak attack.
Batman's fingers traced through his belt, beneath his cloak in contemplation of the best gadget for the situation, while Constantine rehearsed his spell at the back of his mind.
"Double-edged sword." The words ran through Zatanna's mind in whispers as they formulated a new attack with her backwards speech.
Superman exuded his usual boost of confidence as he locked his gaze onto mine. But he had seen the prophecy, and knew well not to relax.
Similarly, the Flash's energy crackled as he charged up for a quick dash, just in case.
The earth quaked more intensely again, and the Batwing threatened to follow it to lower grounds, breaking Batman's tension.
"Damn you Constantine!" Batman cursed, grappling hooks shooting for a quicker entry. "Should've never left the Batwing."
"'Twas a bloody necessity - for that thing," Constantine declared with his usual bluntness.
"Say what, Hunter?" Constantine began, his tone laced with a world-weary edge. "Things feel a 'bit edgy right now. How 'bout we relieve the tension before we all plummet into the ground. We ain't your enemies."
"Hunter?" I mused, the name stirring some elusive memory. "Sounds catchy"
"What do you want then?" I asked while still retaining my I'm-ready-for-anything pose.
"What you want. Peace." Zatanna said.
"And Justice." The Flash added, but Constantine shook his head to his direction.
"Is that so?" I relaxed a bit.
"Yes," Superman affirmed as the Batwing hovered briefly before getting crashed by a formidable figure.
I manage to leap off in time as I took note of the cause of the crash. Landing next to the alert heroes, I observed as she leapt from the plummeting Batwing just as Batman's grappling hook wrapped around her foot, to save himself.
"If peace is what you seek then," I started, a sly grin forming on my face. "I suggest you deal with her. She tried to kill me twice, this being the third time."
"She might look and sound friendly, but, she has a bad temper." I added, turning around and leaping away. "I'm finally free to get out of this island. There's no need to get in your way."
"He's getting away." Zatanna shouted above the sounds of ground tearing further apart for the rest to hear. Not that they hadn't noticed.
Diana landed before them with her knees bent and hands to the ground. Her powerful might threatened the current quake that was in session.
Standing before them, they couldn't make out her facial structures and only saw darkness. Batman's hooks retracted to his sleeves and he stood up too, anger written all over his face. Someone was about to get strangled.
"Never mind him. We'll run into him sooner than later." Constantine said, his hands ready for some action. "She, on the other hand, doesn't look friendly."
"She's dressed like those other women we found lying all over the island." The Flash observed.
"Where are they?" Diana's voice resonated the question with the tone of a villain. "The women."
Pondering on the frankness of the question and what they had seen, the heroes didn't know exactly how to answer.
"Must've been her kin." Constantine wondered out loud.
"If so..." Zatanna started, but couldn't finish.
"The strangest thing happened..." The Flash started.
---
"This island has sure seen a lot." I thought to myself as I made my way through the instability, flying on Nue's back. "I don't think it can be salvaged."
"I'm exhausted..." I felt the grogginess of my weary body threatening to put me down. "And hungry."
My stomach growled and grumbled. "I could use one of those weird creatures from the forest just about now. They strangely started to feel like the best meat I have ever tasted, with time."
Thinking back to my survival time in this island, I scratched them off my mind. "That's behind me now. I sure as hell won't be missing anything from this island anymore."
However, I still didn't fully comprehend what had happened to the Oracle, and all those other women, and why Diana was back!
"How did they get exorcised?" I wondered to myself. "I was sure that Totality had done away with Diana."
Surveying from the sky, I couldn't discern any signs of Amazons, just land crunching together.
All I could feel was the sense of an enormous weight lifting from my chest, relieving me. I could finally breathe in the fresh air and taste the freedom and luxurious life that awaited me.
I could rest easy, knowing that I could move past this island without worrying about an invisible force threatening to choke me and blow me apart.
"If that's how it feels when someone attempts to break a pact, I doubt Psoiden will fail to hold his end of the bargain." I thought to myself, reliving those moments when I would get on Nue's back and attempt to run away.
Those times only led me to experiencing a suffocating moment that would instantly result into my losing consciousness as my gut threatened to explode, only for Nue to carry my back safely to the island. But that premonition was no more.
"Psssuuww!" Something like a bullet skidded through the air like a lightning fast bullet and nearly shot through Nue.
My senses sharpened as my attributes alerted me on the new threat. What was it now?
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Threat level (25)
Cursed energy rejuvenation in progress.
<Strength: 50/50>
<Speed: 50/50>
<Agility: 50/50>
<HP: 50/50>
Switch to Hunter mode? Y/N
My new attributes looked pesky, meaning the threat wasn't exactly powerful.
Several other bullets rained to the sky, threatening to shoot me down but Nue swerved to avoid them. My eyes burrowed as I realized the threat I was facing: Humans!
"Something about these bullets isn't natural either." I thought as one grazed me, unnerving me. "They are well crafted for mystic operations."
"These MFs must be holding a grudge against me." I tilted to note where the bullets were coming from on the ground. "Let's find out what Hunter does."
"Is it cool as it sounds?"
<Hunter Mode: Activated.>
Info: Hone your jujutsu (shades of blue) for the perfect inventory of Cursed Artilleries. From weapons to armor and tricks.
<Basic weapon granted: Pistol Lvl 1>
Info: A jujutsu bullet for every grudge (12/12).
Another series of more precisely aimed bullets tore through the sky, and rapidly, making Nue unable to dodge them all. While they couldn't see the flight Shikigami, they managed to shoot it's left wing, disrupting it's stable soar in the sky.
Unable to flap gently, Nue started to fall towards the left side, where the Special Operatives I had engaged from earlier were stationed while attacking. They now had reinforcements and looked sobered up and tactical, determine to put me down.
"Aim...Fire!" Agent Rodriguez issued another order in between gritted teeth. His hands and face were all wrapped with sterile gauze, a reminder of what he and his fellows had been through. "Put that Son of A Bitch down."
A pistol had materialized in my hand while Nue desperately struggled to maintain control amidst growls of pain.
"Seems like I have a genuine grudge." I said heroically as I aimed the pistol to the unit's location. "They should have learnt their lesson the first time."
Bullets skidded beside me, interrupting my rookie aim and angered me the more. I could tell that we were about to crash to the ground, but Nue finally got a grip and flapped to hover above the unit.
"A bullet for every grudge." I winked as I aimlessly shot the pistol at a random target, just as Nue managed to soar by, almost smoothly.
We glided long enough for me to notice the bullet hitting... the ground and missing an entire unit of operatives.
"I don't think I like this." I whispered my disappointed as Agent Rodriguez issued another order. A barrage of mystic bullets shot towards us without a doubt that they would miss.
Nue was in considerable pain, and I couldn't let myself experience the loss of another Shikigami. Instantly, I dismissed Nue's summon before the bullets hit and allowed myself to fall to the ground.
"Maybe if I had kept the Lasso, I could have found a good use for it right about now." I regretted as a bullet tore through my left arm. Luckily, I missed all the rest until I landed on the ground.
"Regroup to the target!" Rodriguez ordered. "And be careful!"
I stood up, bearing the pain in arm and lifting my pistol.
"I'm weak as F*" I smiled to myself as blood oozed even from my forehead. "I liked it better when I was fighting less intelligent, and powerful, beings."
Amid the sounds of earth cracking, I could hear the sounds of a multitude of approaching footsteps to kill me.
"Humans might be weak, but they have mysterious weapons." I sighed regretfully.
"A bullet for every grudge." I shot another bullet aimlessly. "The grudge that this could be it."
"My legs! Something is happening to my legs!" I heard an operative cry.
"My back is breaking!" Another cried.
"I can't feel my legs!" The first operative cried again.
"Move it soldiers! Leave them behind" Rodriguez was still shouting orders. "Your mission is to apprehend that culprit!"
CN: This is the last chapter to this arc. Expect Part 2 in a few.
Thanks for reading. Early Access in Patreon.com/CursedMillennial.
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