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Marvel: Gamer Path is back. Getting updates. If you want to read ahead for either one be sure to check my sexy Patrrreon.
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[David Lance POV]
Leading my army through space, I reached Earth's solar system within moments, finding Sinestro and Hal waiting for me alongside several hundred Yellow Lanterns.
It seemed someone had told them I was coming... And If I had to take a guess, I would say without hesitation Granny Goodness had been involved in this less-than-favorable development.
No matter, I had already accounted for this kind of scenario beforehand, I will simply push forward and adapt as I go.
"We seek to talk," Hal spoke first, his gold aura emanating bright.
I stopped, halting my army with one hand as Dex-Starr hissed at the Yellow Lanterns, earning a glare from Sinestro, who seemed ready to use his ring at a moment's notice, probably should I reject their terms.
"Talk? Oh no, no, no, we are beyond that," I replied, my tone dripping with malice. "There's nothing to talk about, and your leader knows that."
"Do not be stupid, kid. You can't win this war," Sinestro spat, his voice full of contempt. "And if you think otherwise, you are even dumber than I had imagined. And believe me, that's a lot."
I smiled at the insult, finding it rather amusing that he thought so lowly of me. Especially considering how weak he was compared to me, it was... poetic in a way.
"Then why talk? Destroy me, and claim victory for your master Sinestro," I replied, looking him dead in the eye. "Don't let my army deter you. They won't interfere should you decide to take me on; in fact, I will even allow Hal to help you."
At this, the atmosphere shifted to one of unease as the space around us seemed to crackle with tension, rage evident in Sinestro's eyes. It seemed my words had struck a nerve with the Yellow Lantern's leader.
"We don't have to do this," Hal replied, his voice calm and steady.
"Yeah, we don't," I smiled, my voice cold and unwavering. "In an ideal world, you would simply let me fight Superman and Superman alone. But you won't do that; none of you will, so here we are."
"Superman is not the monster you think he is," Hal replied, his gaze determined. "The only reason we meet you like this, looking for peace instead of simply attacking you, is because he knows what you're feeling right now; he knows better than anyone the kind of pain you are enduring."
I snorted at that. There was devotion, and then there was stupid naivety, and it didn't take the loss of a loved one to know Superman needed to die. How could so many former heroes not see that was simply beyond me.
"If you value your life over complete annihilation, listen well, brat. Superman is offering you an easy way out of this. Not out of fear for your pitiful army, no, why would he fear them?" Sinestro said, his voice dripping with contempt. "He leads a force, an army so massive, so powerful that not even all creatures in the universe could oppose him should he decide to subjugate them all."
I snorted, taking this time to give my army some commands in order to prepare.
I had lost the element of surprise, but this talk they were offering me was giving me time to recalculate my approach. I even dare say my plans were even better now than before.
"You would be wise to accept his mercy," Sinestro added, anger clear in his eyes.
"You should really brush your teeth more often, or at the very least use better dental products... I mean, even from here, in the void of space, I can smell him inside your throat, Sinestro." I replied, not even attempting to hide the contempt in my voice.
The two men looked at each other before Sinestro growled, taking a step forward in a rage only to be stopped by Hal. What a shame, so close to making him throw his life away.
"Superman wants to come to a compromise. He understands your loss and is willing to compensate you for it. All he requires is a token of your goodwill, a token of your submission," Hal replied, holding Sinestro back for a moment until the former calmed down.
Submission? Was Superman really trying to 300 his way out of war, Xerxes-style?
"Submission?" I chuckled, finding his offer so preposterous, so laughable, so insulting on more than one level that I could feel my skin crawl in anger and bewilderment. "Well, that's not gonna happen."
"Then you will die," Sinestro replied, his eyes like cold steel as he stared menacingly at me.
"And who's gonna kill me?" I asked, tilting my head as I approached the duo slowly, my mouth forming a thin line. "You two? Hahaha! Certainly not, last time, I almost killed Hal, and I was at my weakest, meaning you must mean Superman will kill me, which also means you two won't live long enough to see that happen. It almost feels like your great leader sacrificed the two of you. How cruel of him."
Without another word, I continued approaching the two. And once I was around forty feet away from them, Sinestro lashed out in anger, or perhaps fear, throwing a few fear-based constructs at me, but with a single hand, I slapped his constructs away effortlessly, shattering them one by one without breaking my pace toward them.
Hal, realizing there was no turning back, started aiding his ally, hurling with him construct after construct at me, but again and again, I continued shattering their efforts, tearing through their combined attacks with ease, keeping my pace slow and steady to show them they had no chance of winning.
"What are you all doing?! Attack!" Sinestro screamed at his troops from the top of his lungs. However, before they could follow his commands, I gave my first order, and my army moved forward without hesitation, intercepting them.
"Asking your soldiers to attack me so soon? Where is the bravado you had a few moments ago?" I asked, breaking through Hal's and Sinestro's combined effort with ease as both grunted with effort.
"I won't be insulted by a child!" Sinestro roared, darting at me at full speed with a construct at his ring hand, a sword.
However, just as he was about to reach me, I lunged forward with terrifying speed, thrusting my left hand straight through his chest. "Remember when I said you two wouldn't live long enough to see Superman kill me?" I muttered, slowly pulling my arm out of his chest.
Sinestro, trembling in shock, stares down at the hole in his chest in disbelief as blood pumps out of the hole, pouring down like a river in the void before he topples down, the once bright yellow aura that surrounded him gone.
"That was... honestly, very... disappointing," I said, turning my gaze to meet Hal's before vaporizing Sinestro's corpse and his ring with a crimson beam without breaking eye contact. "But I suppose it will do as a warmup before I get to fight Superman. Do me a favor, though, and believe I know it's a difficult request, but... try to last longer than Sinestro did; I need to get in the zone, so to speak."
Hal said nothing.
His eyes were wide, and his face was pale in shock. He looked at me with a mix of horror and disbelief, and without even realizing it, he found himself taking a step back from me, one that was soon followed by another and another until he simply found no other option but to cave to his instincts, blasting out of at full speed, in a pathetic attempt to escape.
"So that's your decision," I chuckled, cracking my neck from side to side. "Can't say I blame you for it."
Watching in glee as Hal flew away and my troops overwhelmed the lanterns he had left behind, I could feel my heart racing in excitement. Just as well as I could feel the fear in him as he ran from me, trying his hardest to escape me, to escape his death.
It was almost... commendable if it wasn't for the fact he had no way to escape me.
Which is why I was allowing him to get a good head start before I started to close the distance between us. So, as my army tore through the lanterns, I waited in place, patiently, watching as my prey kept going forward, watching him fly with all his might in a desperate attempt to escape.
And with each second I gave him, my rage and my heart raced in anticipation, the thrill growing more and more as I waited for the perfect moment to strike. Finally, when the time was right, and he was far enough, I smiled, taking off after him with overwhelming speed.
Reaching him in a matter of seconds, stopping right in front of him, cutting his path.
Seeing his shock, I couldn't help but remember our first fight before everything happened; I couldn't help but remember his involvement in stopping me from helping Dinah in his attempt to save Superman.
With each memory, I could feel the anger bubbling up inside of me, and before he could move another muscle, my hand shot forward, grabbing him by the throat. Using all of his strength, he struggled under my grasp as I squeezed his throat as hard as I could, relishing in the feel of his windpipe slowly crushing under my fingers.
He tried to attack me, in desperation, trying with all his might to break my hold. But it proved futile, which only made his fear and despair grow larger.
I paid his desperation no heed, continuing to squeeze his throat, as his eyes bulged, and his face turned red, as all I could think when I saw him was the pain he had caused me. He kicked and thrashed, blood coming out of his eyes, mouth, and ears, but no matter what he did, I didn't let go. I simply continued to squeeze harder and harder until his body went completely limp under my hand and he stopped moving.
By the time that had happened, my army had already eliminated the lanterns they had brought.
If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Marvel: Gamer Path is back. Getting updates. If you want to read ahead for either one be sure to check my sexy Patrrreon.
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[Wonder Woman - Injustice POV]
I walked down the hall of the Regime's base to meet with Clark, my boots echoing on the hard floor with each step I took. As I walked, I couldn't help but wonder deep down why Clark had decided to offer that man... no... that monster our mercy.
By his own words, this unknown had proven to be a threat bigger than anything he had ever faced, and yet, despite that acknowledgment, he had decided to approach this beast and his army, which were a clear call for war, with peace.
No matter how much time I spent analyzing this. It just didn't make sense to me.
Perhaps Clark was starting to falter in his resolve.
Perhaps my involuntary absence had opened room for weakness within him, and because of that, he was beginning to doubt whether or not this war was worth fighting. Or maybe he was just getting too soft.
Either way, I still couldn't fathom what had led him to make such a rash decision, especially without confiding in me first.
Regardless of his state of mind right now, this had been a terrible move in more than one way. If Hal failed, our enemy would undoubtedly take his life, meaning we would lose valuable allies, and that was something we couldn't afford to pay right now, not when war was brewing in the air.
At this point, I could only hope that Hal would make it out alive, even though I knew the odds were stacked against him. With the limited number of soldiers Clark had given him, there was simply no way Hal would be able to defeat a beast of such terrifying power and strength, no matter how valiantly he fought.
This was out of my hands already.
I hadn't been consulted about this decision, and by now, even if I wanted to help Hal, I would be too late to do so.
At this point, the best I could possibly do is prepare for war, like Clark should've done the moment we received notice of this monster coming back.
"Diana," The unmistakable and insufferable voice of Lex Luthor, the snake amongst our ranks, interrupted my thoughts as he walked out of a room that connected with the hallway.
"What is it that you want, Luthor?" I said without turning to face him. If I had my way, I would've ripped his head off, but for reasons I had yet to understand, Clark had decided to spare him. "And make it quick. Unlike Clark, I have no tolerance for you."
Unfazed by my comment and unspoken threat, Luthor stood next to me. And with his eyes drawn to a point in the distance, he spoke. "Your concerns about the threat coming to earth were correct, Diana. Hal died. In a pretty gruesome way."
I felt my heart sink for a moment at the loss of our friend. Never before had I wished so hard to be wrong at something, but alas, I had been right.
Hal was gone, and it was all because of a terrible decision on Clark's part.
Clark had failed to stand against this monster that threatened our world and the people we cared about the way he should've. Instead, he had offered up Hal as a sacrificial lamb in an attempt at peace, only to have his own efforts backfire like I knew they would.
Luthor smiled as if enjoying my reaction. "It seems this time... Clark's vision for peace was .... rather misguided," taking a deep breath, he continued. "We better prepare for what is to come. No matter how much we try to avoid it, war is inevitable now."
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[Raven - Rachel Roth POV]
[Young Justice]
As I walked into my room, I could feel the magic begin to stir. The air was thick with tension and power as the shadows seemed to lengthen in anticipation. After months of hardships and more, I was finally almost done collecting the ingredients I required to rescue David.
There was simply one thing left I required, the blood of a powerful familiar.
Klarion's familiar.
Those two had taken David from this world, and If I could just get the blood of that accursed cat, then I was sure without a doubt I would have more than enough power to open the gateway I needed to reach David.
I just needed to forcibly summon Klarion, and the rest would fall into place alone.
"Today, today I bring you back, I promise," I muttered under my breath, as all of a sudden, I heard a knock on my door. From the magical signature alone, it was easy to tell it was Kaldur, the one behind my door.
Knowing what he was doing here, I opened the door with a wave of my hand.
"I know why you're here, and as I have told you before, I am not interested in going back to the team nor in talking about my problems," I said coldly as Kaldur entered the room.
"Raven, I know you have been through a lot, and we all understand why you don't want to talk with us about your problems," Kaldur replied with a concerned look in his eyes, his tone soft. "We all miss him, but it's been more than a year."
I glared at him in anger. "And because of that, you want me to give up?!" My voice echoed in the room as my magic intensified.
Kaldur stood his ground, unflinching, even though he could clearly feel the power emanating from me. "I didn't say that." He said calmly. "I would never say that. He's our friend, and he will always be, just like you are. But doing this alone, it won't end well for you."
Their friend... they knew nothing about him, they didn't know him as I did, no one did. They only knew the man he wanted them to know, not who he really was. I knew his fears, his hopes, his strength, and his weaknesses.
Taking a deep breath, I looked away, tears threatening to start streaming down. "Goodbye, Kaldur." With that said, I opened a portal and walked through it, leaving Kaldur standing alone in my room.
Today, I would bring David back. No matter the cost. I would do it.
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[Kaldur'ahm POV]
[Young Justice]
I watched as Raven stepped through the portal that she had opened, and all I could feel was a heavy sense of dread on my shoulders.
I knew what she planned to do, and I also knew it was foolish. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, and even her magic, as vast as it was, wouldn't be enough to protect her. No one should ever attempt a magical ritual like this alone; it was too dangerous.
Especially considering she had to face Klarion to achieve her goals.
What Raven didn't seem to understand, though, was how much we cared about her, about Black Bolt, and that, just like her, we were willing to put our lives on the line for him if necessary to bring him back.
"I told you she would react like this," Robin murmured as he stepped beside me. "She blames herself for what happened to Bolt, and because of that, she feels she has to do this alone... Believe me, I would know..."
Swallowing down my apprehension, I nodded, knowing he was right.
"With her powers, we have no way of following her," I said, and Robin shook his head.
"We don't... But maybe there's someone who can," Robin suggested, and almost immediately, I understood what he was proposing.
"Dr. Kent Nelson," I concluded, and he nodded in response. "That's not a bad idea. As we are right now, we lack the tools to follow her effectively, but Mr. Kent doesn't. If anyone has the magical dexterity to aid us in this, it's him."
"Exactly," Robin said with a determined expression.
"Call the rest of the team," I said firmly. "We'll need all hands on deck if we want to succeed."